Misunderstanding
by fanfatic08
Summary: Sakuno's eyes opened wide in shock. Echizen Ryoma, her Ryoma was hugging her senpai, the same senpai that went on a date with Eiji. A whole lot of misunderstandings ending up with more complications… What is happening? Please read and review.
1. Appearance

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**Misunderstanding**

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**Chapter One:**

**Appearance**

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**Summary: Sakuno's eyes opened wide in shock. Echizen Ryoma, **_**her**_** Ryoma was hugging her senpai, the same senpai that went on a date with Eiji. A whole lot of misunderstandings ending up with more complications… What is happening?**

**A/N: Konnichiwa, mina-san! Here's the first chapter. The idea came to me while thinking of how much Fuji loves and cares for his brother. I hope you like it. Please read and review.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PoT or any of its characters.**

_Wake up, go to school, listen to the teachers, converse with students, ace quizzes, recite when asked to, go to tennis practice, go home, do some homework, sleep, then do it all over again... this is pretty much the routine I've gotten used to. It's the routine I have now mastered after years of performing it. It is the routine I continue to perform with this smile that cover up who I am._

_This is how life is to me- a boring routine. Nothing and no one could ever keep me entertained, not even Echizen._

Upon opening the door to my house, I immediately spotted my younger brother's shoes. Sensing that something was wrong, I quietly removed my shoes and tiptoed to his room.

_Why is he here? He only comes home during the end of the month._

I saw a beam of light coming out of his partially open door. I peeked inside and saw Yuuta sitting on the edge of his bed, looking down on the floor. Something was really odd. I was tempted to enter the room but decided not to when his phone rang. I watched as he answered the call.

"Hello?" He paused, listening to the person on the other end of the line.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine," he answered, his voice cracking. I knew it then that he had been crying. "You shouldn't be worrying about me."

_Who could he be talking to?_

"I can handle myself. He's there with you, right? Go to him."

_Who is _he_?_

"You don't need to apologize. It wasn't your fault. I need to go. Bye." He ended the call. I watched him as he stood up and tossed the phone unto his bed.

Shouldn't be worrying… go to him… not your fault… the conversation was quickly making sense to me. Could it be?

I opened the door without knocking. I went in and stared at him. He was staring at his phone, not seeming to have noticed me despite of the noise the door made when I opened it. I searched his face, not knowing what exactly it was I was looking for. Then, I saw his eyes. I saw the sorrow and the pain.

_It couldn't be… could it? I had to confirm it first._

"Yuuta?" I spoke softly.

He turned to me, surprised. "Aniki?"

"What happened?" I asked, hoping that he would prove me wrong.

Instead, he looked down on the floor and stayed silent.

"Did your girlfriend break up with you?" I pried, trying to confirm my theory.

He looked out the window. His eyes seemed to see something other than the backyard. "Something like that," he said, walking to the bathroom.

Taking advantage of the fact that he was taking a shower, I took his phone and searched for the name of the latest caller. Returning the phone on the bed, I left the room.

I memorized the name of the girl that would suffer for what she did to my brother. I allowed a smile different from the usual one I wear to form in my lips. At that time, I knew my eyes were burning with anger and I was smiling sadistically.

_I _will_ make her suffer._

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

"Ryoma-kun, wake up!" A girl said as she shook the tennis prodigy.

"Ugh...," he groaned as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Get up and get ready. Nanako-san is preparing breakfast," she said as she walked out the room, closing the door behind her.

Ryoma stared at the door for a few minutes before standing up and taking a shower. After a few more minutes, he walked out of his room dressed for school. He had his tennis bag slung on his left shoulder and was heading down the stairs to the dining room.

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Ryoma-san!" Nanako greeted him as she served him his breakfast.

"Ohayou," he murmured as he took a seat. "Where is she?"

"She's dressing for school," Nanako answered before going to the kitchen.

"Itadakimasu," he murmured before eating. _'Going to school with her, huh?' _he thought.

Enjoying his favorite Japanese style breakfast, Ryoma didn't notice the time pass by.

"Eh! Ryoma-kun, you're still here?" the same girl that woke Ryoma up exclaimed as she appeared by the door, wearing the Seishun High School uniform complete with the bag on one hand. "Don't you have your morning tennis practice?" she asked before realizing that he was no longer there.

Ryoma was already at the doorway, putting on his shoes, when the girl saw him. He slid the door open and spoke, "Ittekimasu."

"Eh? Wait for me!" the girl said, dashing to the doorway and sliding her shoes onto her feet. "Bye, Nanako-san!" she said, waving before leaving.

"Take care, both of you," Nanako said as she slid the door close.

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

"They say there's a second-year transferee. Do you think it's a male or female?" Eiji asked enthusiastically as he and Fuji walked toward the tennis courts for their morning tennis practice.

Fuji continued to walk silently as if he had not heard his friend's question. Maybe he really didn't.

"Fujiko?" Eiji spoke looking at his friend.

Fuji walked on, staring ahead.

"Fu-ji-ko?" Eiji spoke a little louder stepping in front of Fuji.

"Oh. Gomen, Eiji," Fuji apologized upon realizing what had happened. "What were you saying?"

"I asked you if you think the second-year transferee was male or female," Eiji said, walking again.

"Saa… I guess we'll have to wait to know for sure. But I'm guessing the transferee's a girl," Fuji answered, walking beside Eiji.

"Nya, I'm thinking he's a boy." Eiji said, disagreeing with his friend. Then, he smiled at the idea that popped out of nowhere. "Nya, Fujiko, wanna make a bet? If you lose you have to wear the female uniform to school for one _whole_ day."

"Okay, then. If you lose, you'll have to ask her out on a date." Fuji said, keeping his smile in place.

"Eh?" Eiji said, blushing. He thought to himself, thinking of his chance of winning. Then, beaming brightly, he spoke, "Deal!"

"This would be interesting…," Fuji said, smiling.

"Y-you're smile is creepy," Eiji stuttered, trembling ever so slightly.

"Yeah, I know," Fuji responded as he entered the clubroom.

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

Ryoma sighed. "Why are you following me?"

"What do you mean? I go to the same school as you now. Remember?" the girl walking behind Ryoma said as she went to his side. "Besides, how else am I gonna get there? I don't know the way."

"If you're going to follow me, walk faster."

"I'm matching my pace with yours."

Ryoma smirked. "Wanna race?"

The girl smiled deviously. "A race it is."

As soon as the girl said that, the two of them sped up and were running to school, disturbing the peaceful morning of the people they passed by.

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

"Everyone assemble!" Ryuzaki-sensei said and every member of the club immediately gathered around her.

"Okay, as everyone knows the tournament is near. So, all of us has to work hard and practice. Understood?" the coach said, looking at the members.

"Hai!" they chorused.

"I believe that everyone is also well aware of the fact that Anna-sensei has resigned leaving the girls' tennis club in my care. Meaning to say, I won't always be here to help you unless someone else would be left in charge of them. So, I expect everyone to do their best and stay focused." Ryuzaki-sensei added.

"Hai!" another chorus was heard from them.

Running as fast as he can, Ryoma arrived at the place where everyone was assembling. Seconds after he did, came running a female. Both of them were panting hard. After a few more seconds, Ryoma straightened up and tugged on his cap.

"Mada mada dane." He smirked at the girl who still had her hands on her knees, panting.

"Cheater," the girl said as she composed herself and stood straight. _'Ooops…'_ she thought as she realized that the other members and the coach were eyeing the two of them. "Sorry for disturbing your practice," she said as she bowed.

"Oi, Echizen! Why didn't you wait for me?" Momoshiro's loud voice was heard, making them turn their attention to him. "I went by your house," he said as he approached Ryoma. He was late… again.

"Che," Ryoma muttered.

"Momoshiro-senpai and Echizen-san always come to school every day. So, why did Echizen-san come here with… a girl?" a freshman whispered to someone. Unfortunately, his whisper was loud enough for the regulars to hear.

"Saa… Echizen, won't you introduce us to your girlfriend?" Fuji smiled.

**-o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: Here ends the first chapter. Thank you so much for reading and please let me know what you think of it by leaving a review. Comments, suggestions and even flames are welcome. Anonymous and signed reviews are accepted.**


	2. Challenge

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**Misunderstanding**

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**Chapter Two:**

**Challenge**

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**A/N: Hello! Wow, I just hope I'm greeting someone because if I'm not then I must be crazy. Anyway, please read and REVIEW. =) Okay, so here's the second chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PoT or any of its original characters.**

"Saa… Echizen, won't you introduce us to your girlfriend?" Fuji smiled.

"G-Girlfriend?" both Ryoma and the girl repeated.

After a moment of stunned silence, they started to chatter.

"That's enough," Tezuka said, silencing them. He looked at Ryoma and Momoshiro. "Twenty laps for tardiness."

"Hai," Ryoma responded as he started those laps, not bothering to argue with the stoic captain for he knew what would happen then.

"Eh? But it was Echizen's fault-" Momoshiro tried to reason but he was cut off by his buchuo's glare.

"Thirty laps," he said firmly.

"Fssshhh…," Kaidoh hissed, mocking Momoshiro.

"H-hai!" Momoshiro glared at Kaidoh. Then, he rushed away before his mouth could get him in more trouble.

"Alright, everyone," Coach Ryuzaki spoke up. "Go back to your training."

"Hai!" with that they all scattered, most of them forgetting what had happened.

"Tezuka," the coach called for the stoic captain.

"Hai, sensei?" he asked as he approached the aging coach.

"Do you know her?" she asked.

"No, this is the first time I've seen her."

"Eh?" the coach said, eyeing the girl who was watching the tennis club members run around for their morning laps. After a few more seconds, she smiled and left for her office.

"Saa… Inui don't you have any data on her?" Fuji asked appearing beside Tezuka.

"Hmn… she appears to be the second-year transferee." Inui mumbled behind them. "I don't have much info on her. She was born here in Japan but grew up in America. She's sixteen years old, average height and weight, and plays tennis. She is currently living in…," he stopped before looking up.

"What is it?" Fuji asked.

"She's living with Echizen," Inui answered as he closed his notebook. "I wonder if I made a mistake… but that's highly unlikely."

"Ne, Inui, how good is she in tennis?" Fuji asked, directing Inui's and Tezuka's attention to two people walking to an unused court.

"Chance," Inui said as he adjusted his glasses and walked towards the said court. He smiled at the opportunity for him to collect data on the… mysterious girl.

"Tezuka, are you comi-" Fuji stopped midsentence when he saw him already walking towards the court. Fuji smiled before following, wondering why their captain had suddenly taken an interest in a girl.

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

Arai took a deep breath before taking another step towards the tennis prodigy. The courage, that had brought him to challenge Ryoma, had faded when he realized what he was doing. He was challenging _the_ tennis prodigy. What did he have against him?

"How long are you going to follow me, senpai?" Ryoma asked as he turned to face Arai.

Momoshiro, who was talking to Ryoma, turned around to look at Arai, too.

"Eh." Arai took a step back. "I challenge you to a match."

"Hmn." Ryoma looked at him, not amused but bored.

"If I win, stay away from her. If you win, I'll do anything you want me to do." Arai said.

"Her?" Momoshiro asked. "Oh… her." He grinned as he realized what Arai was doing. He turned to Ryoma and grinned. "Looks like you've got competition, Echizen."

"Competition?" Ryoma asked with a bored tone.

"Oh, come on. Stop denying it." Momoshiro's grin stretched wider. "She's your girlfriend, right?"

"Huh?" Ryoma looked at his senpai like he was crazy.

"So young… so young…," Momoshiro teased.

"What are you talking about, Momo-senpai?" Ryoma looked away from him and stared straight ahead.

"H-hey, what happened to my challenge?" Arai asked as he watched Momoshiro tease Ryoma who ignored him in return.

Ryoma straightened up after hearing his comment. "If it's regarding her, then go to her. I'm not her guardian," he said, looking straight at Arai's eyes.

Arai was taken aback. He hadn't thought of that. He turned around to search for the girl when he heard some voices.

"Mou, senpai…," a girl's voice was heard as three figures approached them.

"Nya, why do you keep denying it?" Eiji asked as he kept on pestering the girl from before. "You're O'chibi's girlfriend, right?"

"Of course not," she replied.

"Nya-" Eiji was interrupted by Oishi.

"Eiji, maybe you should stop now," he said.

"Eh? But, why?" Eiji asked, not happy about his partner's interference. The girl simply looked at Oishi.

"Well, I don't think it's nice to tease her like this and Arai-san looks like he wants to say something." Oishi looked at Arai's direction, directing the attention of the two to him.

Arai looked at their vice-president, shocked. He didn't think that they would notice him. Then, he remembered his purpose. He looked at the girl who stared back at him. "I want a match."

She hung her head low to hide a mysterious smile. Then, a thought came to her. "Uhm… is this allowed, Oishi-senpai?" She looked at him.

"Yeah, I guess," Oishi responded with uncertainty.

"Okay, then." Arai's face lit up as she spoke. "I'll just get a racket."

Arai started with his warm ups, Eiji hurriedly went to tell the members about the match and Oishi worriedly watched the girl as she walked away. She walked towards Ryoma and his grinning friend.

"Echizen, here comes your girlfriend," Momoshiro said.

"Che," Ryoma muttered as he handed her his racket.

"Arigatou," she said. Then, he looked at Momoshiro like she was asking for his name.

"Momoshiro Takeshi, you can call me Momo-chan." He responded, introducing himself.

"Nice to meet you, Momo-san." She said, smiling at him. "I need to go now."

Momoshiro watched her run to an unused court before he remembered something. "Echizen, what's her name?"

"Why don't you ask her?" Ryoma answered before heading for the court, too.

"How about a bet?" Arai asked as he went to his side of the court.

"Sure," the girl answered as she went to her side.

"If I win, you go on a date with me. If I lose, you can make me do whatever you want," Arai said, confidently.

She paused to think about it. "Fine with me."

Arai smiled. He had given the first serve to her, thinking that he could easily beat her.

She threw the ball to the air and hit it with great timing. The ball went past the net. It hit the ground and bounced off before Arai could react.

"15-Love" Oishi announced. He had volunteered to take the role of referee so he could stop the match if he had to.

**-**** o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: How was it? Please, please, leave a review. Comments, suggestions and even flames are welcome. Both anonymous and signed reviews are welcome.**

**Oh, yeah. Her name finally gets revealed in the next chapter… or at least that's how I plan to make it. Who do you think she is?**


	3. Match

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**Misunderstanding**

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**Chapter Three:**

**Match**

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**A/N: Konnichiwa, minna-san! Here's the third chapter and I hope you enjoy reading this. Please leave a review afterwards!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PoT or any of its original characters.**

"How about a bet?" Arai asked as he went to his side of the court.

"Sure," the girl said as she went to hers.

"If I win, you go on a date with me. If I lose, you can make me do whatever you want," Arai said, confidently.

She paused to think about it. "Fine with me."

Arai smiled. He gave the first serve to her, thinking that he could easily beat her.

She threw the ball to the air and hit it with great timing. The ball went past the net. It hit the ground and bounced off before Arai could react.

"15-Love" Oishi announced. He volunteered to take the role so he could stop the match if he had to.

She served again but this time Arai easily returned it. The game continued with the same result.

"2 games to love," Oishi announced as he looked worriedly at the girl. Arai was winning and she has been running around for the most part of the game.

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

"Hmn…," Fuji was standing with Tezuka to his right and Inui on the other side. "What do you think?" he asked the two.

"Hn," Tezuka said, keeping his eyes on the game.

Inui closed his notebook. "This isn't as interesting as I thought it would be."

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

"Nya, O'chibi won't you help your girlfriend?" Eiji said, teasing Ryoma. But his voice still showed concern for his newly found friend. They were standing near Inui, Fuji and Tezuka.

"So young… so young…," Momoshiro said as he looked at Ryoma.

Ryoma ignored them both. He was busy watching her play. Suddenly, he heard Inui's statement. He quickly turned around and started to walk away from them.

"Oi, Echizen," Momoshiro called after him.

"Nya, O'chibi!" Eiji pouted.

Ryoma ignored them and walked inside the court.

"E-Echizen?" Oishi looked alarmed at the sudden appearance of the tennis prodigy.

"Oi, stop playing around," Ryoma stared at the girl's eyes, making sure that she got his message. He gave a quick glance at Arai before walking away. He walked away from her, from his senpais- including a very confused Arai- and from the small crowd that had gathered without them noticing. He went to his secret place, under a tree in a secluded part of the campus, knowing the result of the game. She'll win.

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

"S-six games to two," Oishi announced the score. It was weird. Right after Ryoma left, she had monopolized the points.

"W-what happened?" Arai asked, sweating.

The girl simply smiled at him.

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

"Maybe it was interesting after all." Inui mumble as he closed his notebook after recording his precious data. He was about to walk away when Ryoma went inside the court. Apparently, Ryoma and the girl had a close relationship. To think that he could have had missed a chance to gather information about the girl.

Tezuka nodded.

"Nya, she's good," Eiji said, bouncing up and down.

"Maybe I should play with her some time," Momoshiro mumbled to himself.

"What's the matter? You can only beat girls?" Kaidoh said.

"What did you say, mamushi?" Momoshiro responded, clenching his fists.

"Want a fight, baka?" Kaidoh asked.

"Not again," Eiji muttered, growing tired of Momoshiro and Kaidoh's frequent fights.

"Eiji, don't you think you're forgetting something?" Fuji asked going to Eiji's side.

"Eh?" Eiji said, looking at him, innocently.

"About our bet…" Fuji said, waiting for the memories to return to Eiji.

"Bet?" Eiji repeated. Then, it all came rushing back to his head. "Eh? You mean she's the second year transferee?"

"So, when will you ask her out?" Fuji smiled.

"E-eh?" Eiji pouted as his face reddened.

Fuji walked away, smiling sadistically. He was going to have some fun later on.

She turned her back on Arai and was about to leave when she noticed the crowd that has gathered around the court. She watched them as they stared at her. She sighed and started to leave the court. She walked pass the crowd, ignoring the stares they were giving her. She took her bag, still holding Ryoma's racket, and was out of sight when they finally started to chatter.

"Things just never change, huh?" she said as she leaned on the wall of a building, hiding herself from the crowd that was slowly disappearing.

She looked at the clear blue sky with her big green eyes. Her black hair flowed only to her shoulder, each of the strands going to different directions. A small portion of her hair on the right side had been braided. Her fair skin looked even whiter than it really was against the dark wall she was leaning on. After a few minutes, she straightened up and dusted her short blue skirt.

"Time for class," she whispered as she walked to the main building. She walked through the unfamiliar corridors, looking for her room. When she finally spotted it, the bell rang.

She heard chairs making noise as it grazed against the floor when the students rushed to go to their respective seats. Unsure of what to do, she stood there looking at the door.

"You must be the transferee. I'm your home room teacher, Manami Ai," a female voice took the girl's attention away from the door and to a sensei.

"Good morning, Manami-sensei," she greeted.

"Good morning. I'll just go in and inform them about you," the teacher said as she placed her hands on the door. "Come in when I call for you." She smiled at her before going in and closing the door behind her.

"Hai," the girl gave an unnecessary response.

From outside the room, she could hear the chairs complain as it brushed against the floor when the students stood up to greet their teacher. She heard the sound again as they sat down. Then, she heard the teacher's voice. She waited patiently to be called.

Finally, she heard it. "Please come in."

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and met the curious stares of her new classmates. She quietly went to the center front and smiled a friendly smile. "Good morning to everyone."

They started to chatter even before she could introduce herself.

"Ah! It's you!" someone said as he stood up and pointed at her.

"Eh, Momo-san," she said as she acknowledged him.

"Momoshiro-san, please don't point at people," Manami-sensei said, asking him to sit down.

"Sorry," Momoshiro muttered as he took a seat.

His classmates snickered and a certain someone even hissed.

"Please introduce yourself," the teacher requested.

"My name is Satomi Akari." She smiled. "It's nice to meet everyone. Please take care of me."

"Are there any questions for Satomi-san?"

Immediately after the teacher's question, some hands flew up.

"What is your relationship to Momo-sama?" a girl, obviously belonging to Momoshiro's fan club, asked.

"I met him earlier this morning during tennis practice," she answered truthfully. She had a feeling this was going to turn into an interrogation.

"What makes you think you could just walk in _our_ school and go to _our_ Momo-sama?" another girl asked.

"First of all, this isn't just _your_ school. It's mine, too." She kept her smile plastered on her face. "Next, I don't think Momo-san would appreciate you referring to him as though he is an object to be owned."

"For your information, Momo-sama hasn't complained about it. Not even once," one more girl spoke. "So, why should you?"

"Haruka-san, please limit your questions to Satomi-san's background," Manami-sensei interjected but the girl won't back down.

"Sensei, I think this is important for-"

"Please shut up."

**-**** o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: Finally, a name is given for my OC. Please do leave a review. Comments, suggestions and even flames are accepted. Anonymous and signed reviews are welcome.**

**Please be kind, leave a review for me to find.**


	4. Incident

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**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.--._._._._**

**Chapter Four:**

**Incident**

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**A/N: Here's the fourth chapter. I hope you enjoy reading this. Let me know what you think of it by leaving a REVIEW.**

**I posted a poll asking if I should write a femryo story as requested by ****Zero-onE001.**** So please visit my profile.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PoT or any of its original characters.**

"Please shut up," a male voice spoke. "Haruka-san," he continued, smiling apologetically.

"M-momo-sama?" Haruka looked at him, eyes opened wide.

"I don't think that you would want Echizen to be angry at you for bullying his girlfriend," Momoshiro added, grinning at Akari.

"Echizen?"

"Did he mean Echizen Ryoma?" the rest of the class started to whisper to each other.

"That's enough. If no one wants to ask questions regarding Satomi-san that isn't related to the boy's tennis club members, then we will just have our quiz," their teacher said, silencing the class.

"Mou…," the class began to complain.

"Anou, Satomi-san," a voice took the attention of everyone in the class. "Where did you grow up?"

"I was born here, but I spent most of my childhood in America. I only came back here more than a year ago."

"What school did you come from?"

"Saint Rudolph."

The interrogation continued. They asked about her hobbies, her likes and even why her eyes were green. The students have asked numerous questions just to avoid the quiz. Seriously, who gives quizzes during the first period of the day? Akari had answered all of their questions honestly with one exception. She struggled to keep her smile because of this one simple question.

"_Why did you transfer here?"_

"_I don't really know. I guess I just felt like it." She had answered while suppressing the images of an incident that had occurred one night not long ago._

"Satomi-san, please occupy the seat beside Kaidoh-san," their sensei said before leaving the classroom. Their interrogation had successfully consumed the whole period.

Akari quickly made her way to her newly assigned seat, ignoring the strange stares her classmates were giving her. She looked at a girl who she happened to pass by and saw the pity in her eyes. She reached her seat and sat down.

She wanted to know what their stares were for but she was too busy trying to keep the tears from flowing out her eyes. She was so busy suppressing the images from that dark night that she couldn't concentrate on what her teacher was saying. She simply waited for the bell to ring.

_Krriingg…_

The students stood up and said goodbye to their teacher before wandering off with their friends. Some already went out and headed to the canteen. Akari silently went out the room and maneuvered through the crowd filling the corridors. She had her arms wrapped around herself as if to keep herself together. She went out the school building and searched for one of the secret places Ryoma had told her off.

After a few minutes, she found herself under a tree. She leaned her back against it and allowed herself to fall to the ground. She wrapped her hands around her knees, her head hung low as tears started to roll off her cheeks.

"Gomen, gomen nasai." Akari kept on repeating those words as her whole figure trembled.

Memories kept on flashing in her mind- memories of that fateful night when everything went from good to bad. In a matter of seconds it all changed. There were memories of her, of him… He looked so hurt and he was right to be so. She did it to him. She was the one who hurt him. What happened was inevitable. Yet, she still blamed herself.

For what seemed like years, she stayed in that position, crying.

"Are you done crying?" a voice asked when she wiped her tears from her eyes.

"Yeah," she smiled and looked up to find Ryoma. Of course it would be him. Who else?

Ryoma handed her a can of grape Ponta which she took gratefully. He sat near her, leaning on the tree.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Huh?" Ryoma responded drinking his own Ponta. He knew what she meant but, still, she wanted her to say it.

"I know I've been a burden- crying like this every now and then. But you were still there. I refuse to tell you why I cry yet you stay by my side. Sorry for being such a burden and thanks for always being there." She smiled at him, looking like she hadn't cried at all. Perhaps it was a talent, looking like she hadn't cried when she just did.

"Mn," Ryoma mumbled as he looked at the sky.

"I guess it's nearly time. We should both head back to our classroom," she said looking for the way back to her room.

Ryoma nodded and tugged on his cap. He stood up and headed for his room.

"Ryoma-kun," she called, pulling him to a stop.

"What?" he asked, turning to her.

"What if I join the girl's tennis club?"

"Do what you want."

Akari smiled at this before continuing, "I'll return your racket later and have Nanako-san bring my tennis bag."

"Mn," was all he said as he started to leave again.

Akari watched his figure disappear into a corner before turning around and heading for her own room.

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

Akari successfully made her way back to her classroom. She walked to her seat, feeling the same stares from her classmates. Then, she remembered the eyes of that girl. Akari reached her seat and thought of it. '_What was so scary? Why were they looking at me as if I'm in a pitiful situation?'_

Then she remembered something. She didn't, not even once, talk to her seatmate before. She turned to him and found the answers to her previous questions. She was seating next to a scary-looking guy. She would have had been scared if he had not looked familiar to her. She just couldn't quite remember where she had seen him.

"Hi," she smiled at him and extended her hand.

"Fsshh…," Kaidoh hissed before touching her hand for barely a second, a gesture that passed as a handshake for him.

Akari observed as Kaidoh's muscles flexed as he reached for her hand. She made a quick glance at his body and determined that he was an athlete, a _really_ muscular athlete. "Have I seen you before?"

Kaidoh nodded and stared at his desk. He didn't know what to say. He wasn't used to people talking to him. Almost everybody was scared of him.

"You know my name, so I think it would be fair for you to tell me yours," Akari continued trying to have a decent conversation with him.

"Kaidoh Kaoru," he responded.

"Nice to meet you, Kaidoh-kun." She smiled at him. "Anou, 'kun' is alright, right?"

Kaidoh simply nodded before standing up to greet the teacher who had just entered the room.

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

_Krringg…_

The bell had finally rang to signal the start of their lunch break. Students rushed out of the classroom, quickly crowding the corridors. Akari stood up and turned to her seatmate.

"Anou, Kaidoh-kun can I have some of your time?" Akari asked, smiling at him.

"Fsshh…," he hissed before nodding.

"Great! Then, could you please give me a tour of the school. I don't know my way around and…," she trailed off.

Kaidoh nodded and they went out the room and through the crowd unnoticed.

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

"Where did Satomi-chan go?" Momoshiro asked, looking around the room. He wanted to invite her to eat lunch with them when she suddenly disappeared.

"Momo-chan, wanna eat lunch together?" Eiji appeared out of nowhere.

Momoshiro kept looking around, failing to notice his senpai.

"Nya, who are you looking for?" Eiji said, deciding to put his head in Momoshiro's line of view.

"Eh? Senpai?" Momoshiro backed away, feeling uncomfortable with how their faces had been only a matter of centimeters apart.

"Who are you looking for?"

"N-no one," Momoshiro answered, not wanting his senpai to know. He was sure he'd misunderstand and make a strange rumor about him. "Let's go have lunch," he said, heading out the room.

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

Kaidoh and Akari went around the school. Their last stop was the canteen. As they were about to enter, Kaidoh stopped and looked at Akari. He deliberated wondering if it was proper for him to ask. Then, he remembered the numerous questions she had asked about his personal life and thought that it would just be fair to ask one.

"What's the matter, Kaidoh-kun?" Akari asked, wondering why he had stopped.

"You cried," Kaidoh stated in a low hushed voice, asking for the reason why.

"Huh?" Akari looked at him in shock.

"You cried awhile ago."

"I thought that wasn't obvious. You're quite observant, Kaidoh-kun" Akari answered, trying to avoid his unspoken question.

She saw Kaidoh stare at her and she couldn't help but feel nervous. _What should I say? I can't tell him the truth, can I?_

"Oi," a voice brought her back to Earth. Both Kaidoh and Akari turned to face the source of the voice.

**-**** o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: How was it? I hope it was worth your time. If you have any suggestions and/or comments, please inform me through a review or PM. You can even flame me as long as you leave a review. **** Anonymous and signed reviews are welcome. Thank you!**

**Please be kind, leave a review for me to find.**


	5. Tryouts

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o--**

**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.--._._._._**

**Chapter Five:**

**Tryouts**

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Hello, mina-san! Yeah, I know, I know. This took a very, VERY long time. Sorry about that. Anyway, please read and REVIEW.**

"You cried," Kaidoh stated in a low hushed voice, asking for the reason why.

"Huh?" Akari looked at him in shock.

"You cried awhile ago."

"I thought that wasn't obvious. You're quite observant, Kaidoh-kun" Akari answered, trying to avoid his unspoken question.

She saw Kaidoh stare at her and she couldn't help but feel nervous. _What should I say? I can't tell him the truth, can I?_

"Oi," a voice brought her back to Earth. Both Kaidoh and Akari turned to face the source of the voice.

Akari sighed in relief. She was saved from answering that question. She smiled at him to show her gratitude. "Ryoma-kun," she started. "What do you need?"

Ryoma eyed Kaidoh as he sneaked away from them. "Bento."

"Eh?" Akari looked at him then suddenly grinned at the thought that crossed her mind.

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

"Mou…," Sakuno pouted as she looked around her. "Where's Ryoma-kun?"

She was at the rooftop, looking for Ryoma. In her arms were the two bentos she had made for Ryoma and herself.

"Why wouldn't he be here?" Sakuno asked herself as she closed the door to the rooftop. She started to descend the stairs, thinking of the other places where she had seen Ryoma. She was about to go to where Ryoma would usually practice tennis alone when she remembered something.

"I forgot about Tomo-chan!" she exclaimed as she sprinted towards the canteen.

Tomoka had asked Sakuno to meet her at their usual table in the canteen, saying that she had something really, _really_ important to say. Sakuno slapped her forehead as she went faster. "How could I forget?" she muttered.

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

"Bento?" Akari tilted her head to her right side as her grin grew wider. "Don't you have your girlfriend for that?"

Ryoma couldn't help but smile. But as soon as he realized it, he wiped it off his face and tugged on his cap.

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

Sakuno was near the canteen. Hands on her knees, she continued on panting. She was tired and was late for her meeting with Tomoka. Feeling that she had rested enough, she looked up and started walking when her eyes caught the sight of a familiar white cap. She was about to call to him when she saw what was happening. Ryoma was talking to a girl and he was SMILING at her.

She instantly felt jealousy but that was soon eradicated by her self-pity. She didn't have the right to get jealous. He wasn't hers, never was and, she guessed, he never will be. She ran away, not knowing what else to do. She ran, not caring if people saw her with continuous tears running off her cheeks.

Finally calming down, Sakuno stopped running and looked around to see where she was. She found herself in a part of the school she never knew existed. She saw a tree and checked the time. She decided to take a nap to forget- even for just a few minutes- what happened, what she saw and how childish she had reacted. She went under the shade and quickly fell asleep.

Minutes after, her eyelids fluttered before she finally opened them. She jumped up when she saw the time. She was going to be late.

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

_Krriiinggg…._

The bell rang as Sakuno slid the door open and stepped in the room. She rushed to her seat and thanked God that she wasn't late.

"Sakuno-chan, where were you?" Tomoka, who was seating beside Sakuno, whispered. "I couldn't find you."

"Oh, gomen, Tomo-chan," Sakuno said with an apologetic smile. "It's just that I had something to do."

"Really?" Tomoka asked in a playful tone before dropping it. "Anyway, did you know that there's a second-year transferee?"

"No…," Sakuno replied, wondering what the transferee had to do with them.

"Her name's Satomi Akari," Tomoka informed. "She arrived early this morning together with Ryoma-sama," she added, noticing the question mark on Sakuno's face.

"Oh," Sakuno whipered as she remembered the dark-haired girl she had seen talking with Ryoma. _'Could it be?'_ Sakuno thought as she stood up, along with the class, to greet their teacher.

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

Their last period was finally done. Students stood up and hurriedly gathered their things before rushing out the room.

"Sakuno-chan, you're going to join the tryouts for the regulars of the girls' tennis club, right?" Tomoka asked as she approached her friend who was still busy organizing her things. They were the only ones left in the room.

"Hai." Sakuno smiled.

"Hurry up, then," Tomoka said as she grabbed her bag and headed for the door. "Let's go!"

"Eh, Tomo-chan, you're trying out, too?" Sakuno asked as she went to her best friend.

"Of course, not. I'll be going to cheer for you." Tomoka answered as she started pulling Sakuno towards the girls' tennis courts.

"Arigatou, Tomo-chan." Sakuno smiled as she let Tomoka drag her.

"Yosh! We better hurry up before those wanna-be's flood the tennis courts." Tomoka smiled back as they went faster.

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

"But, why?" Haruka asked the aging coach.

"Haruka-san, I already told you," Ryuzaki-sensei responded. "Anna-sensei left me in charge of the girls' tennis club saying that I can make the changes I want. I'm not sure of the efficiency of the current rankings as well as the regulars. That is why we are having tryouts and the best will be the captain, the second will be the vice-captain."

"But, sensei-" Haruka began again but was cut off before she could even finish a sentence.

"That's enough." Ryuzaki-sensei gave her a stern look before turning to the rest of the girls' tennis club members. "Okay, so if everybody is here, we will now start the tryouts."

She brought out a chart and posted it on the wall. "Here you can see who you will be playing against. Please look at it closely and proceed to your respective courts. Referees have been assigned so there won't be any problem. Rules for official competitions will be applied to the matches that will be held here today. So, if you're opponent is late, you can win by default. Understood?"

"Hai, sensei!" the students responded.

The coach nodded before turning around to talk to someone.

Slowly, the students went to their respective courts to wait for their opponents.

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

"Great, I'm lost. Why didn't I ask Kaidoh-kun for more details?" Akari murmured as she looked around. "I mean, who answers questions with "there" before hissing then leaving?"

"EXCUSE US! COMING THROUGH!" a voice can be heard throughout the school campus.

Akari turned to its source to see a girl with pig tails running to her direction, dragging a brunette behind her.

"Slow down, Tomo-chan. You're going too fast," the brunette spoke.

"Sakuno-chan, what do you mean slow down? You'll be late for tryouts. You're going to lose by default. How will you be a regular?" Tomoka said as she continued.

The other one just nodded.

"Hey, wait." Akari said as she pulled the loud girl's free hand.

"What's your problem? Can't you see that we're in a hurry?" Tomoka turned to the person who grabbed her hand.

"Sorry, it's just that… I was wondering if you knew where the girls' tennis court is," Akari said unnerved by the girl's glare. "Someone told me about the tryouts and…"

"So, you're going to tryout to, huh?" Tomoka looked at her. "All the more reason for us to not help you," she said as she turned and started to drag Sakuno again.

"Mou… Tomo-chan," Sakuno said as she broke free from Tomoka's hold. "Uhm… We're actually going there. Why don't you come with us?" Sakuno offered as she turned to the person before she realized who it was. Sakuno's eyes opened wide revealing her shock before she could turn and hide it.

"Thanks," Akari said as she followed them.

"Yeah, yeah, just be thankful Sakuno-chan is kind," Tomoka muttered.

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

"Sensei, Sakuno-san is not yet here?" a girl said when she finally caught the coach's attention.

"Is that so?" Ryuzaki-sensei paused to think. "How many more minutes before she loses by default?"

"She has five minutes, sensei."

"Okay, wait until then. If she still isn't here, then eliminate her," she said as she walked away.

"Hai, sensei."

**-**** o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: So, how was it? I hope it wasn't too bad. Please express your opinions through a review. Comments, suggestions and even flames are welcome. Anonymous and signed reviews are accepted. Thank you for reading and please don't be too lazy to type a few words for me to know that you're still reading this.**

**Please be kind; leave a review for me to find.**


	6. Captain

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o--**

**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.--._._._._**

**Chapter Six:**

**Captain**

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Hello, mina-san. Sorry for this very, very late update. Hope that someone is still reading this. Please enjoy reading and leave a review.**

"Sensei, Sakuno-san is not yet here?" a girl said when she finally caught the coach's attention.

"Is that so?" Ryuzaki-sensei paused to think. "How many more minutes before she loses by default?"

"She has five minutes, sensei."

"Okay, wait until then. If she still isn't here, then eliminate her," she said as she walked away.

"Hai, sensei," the girl responded as she started with her warm-ups.

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

"Yosh! We're here!" Tomoka said smiling wide.

Sakuno and Akari followed her.

"Sakuno-san!" the girl from before approached them.

"Natsumi-senpai?" Sakuno asked confused.

"Grab a racket and let's go play a match."

Sakuno and Tomoka looked at her, clueless of what she meant.

"I'll be your opponent." Natsumi explained. "You better get your racket and do it fast, unless you want to get disqualified. I'll be waiting there." She pointed to a court before heading for it.

"H-hai, senpai," Sakuno said as she looked at her friend. She was starting to lose her confidence.

"It's okay, Sakuno-chan. I'm sure you'll do fine," Tomoka said cheering her up. "Besides, I'll be here to cheer for you."

"Arigatou, Tomo-chan," Sakuno said before remembering something important.

"What's the matter?" Tomoka asked her, frowning.

"Anou… I left my racket," Sakuno spoke softly, almost as if she was whispering.

"How could you forget that?" Tomoka said, starting to panic a bit.

"Well, we were rushing and…," She stopped looking at her senpai waiting.

"Here," Akari finally spoke up. "I brought a spare. I'll let you borrow it for helping me find my way here." She smiled as she handed a black racket.

"T-thanks," Sakuno said. She took the racket not knowing what else to do. She was hurt because Ryoma smiled at _her-_ a person that stormed her way to their lives- but she could never dislike someone for having a chance to be with Ryoma, a chance she believed she never had. So she just walked off to the court, pushing what she saw that afternoon to the back of her mind.

"I guess I should go talk to the coach first if I want to join the tryouts. Thanks for the help. Ja," Akari said to Tomoka before leaving.

"Why does it seem like I never saw her around the school campus before?" Tomoka wondered as she stared at Akari's retreating figure. Then she gasped. "Could she be?"

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

Akari kept looking around until she saw a woman that seemed like the coach.

"Excuse me, sensei, are you the coach for the girls' tennis club?" She asked politely.

"Yes," Ryuzaki-sensei responded looking at her face before remembering where she had seen her before. "Aren't you the one who came to the boys' tennis club this morning?"

"Hai, sensei," Akari answered. "Sorry about that..."

The coach simply nodded.

"Anou... sensei, I was wondering if I could join the tryouts. I just transferred so...," Akari stopped waiting for what the coach had to say.

"Have you tried playing with Echizen?" she asked.

"Uhm... a few times," Akari said not knowing how this was connected to the tryouts.

"Have you ever won?"

"Hai, sensei," she answered. "Unfortunately, I lost more games compared to those that I've won."

The coach, once again, nodded. She stood there looking at the members of the club playing matches with each other.

"Anou...," Akari finally spoke up after a few minutes of silence. "Sensei-"

"Haruka-san," the coach called out, interrupting Akari.

"Hai, sensei?" Haruka asked as she approached them.

"If you want to keep your rank as the captain so badly then beat her," the coach said as she gestured to Akari. "But, if she beats you, then she will take your rank and you will have to play again for your position as a regular."

Haruka and Akari stared at the coach for awhile before Haruka smiled.

"Okay, then," she said as she faced Akari. "May the best one win," she continued, smiling.

"Right, may the best one win," Akari repeated, smiling back.

They went to a court that was not being used. Each taking their rackets, they went to their side of the court. They met at the center, net separating them from each other.

"You can serve first." Haruka looked at her with eyes that couldn't hide her expectations. She expected this to be an easy win.

"No, it's okay. You should go ahead, Haruka-san." Akari smiled as she handed her a tennis ball.

"Fine," she said as she took the ball. "How about a bet of our own?" she paused to look at her opponent. "If I win you have to stay away from the boys' tennis club regulars."

"Okay, if I win, you have to accept your defeat and respect me as your new captain," she added smiling confidently.

"Deal."

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

"Anou... How long have they been playing this match?" a girl, Akiko, asked as she turned to the crowd, taking her eyes off the intense match.

"About 30 minutes," another girl replied before focusing back on the game.

Inside the court, the two kept on running around the court, not allowing a single shot to pass them. She returned the ball to the other side and waited for it to come back. She ran toward the ball when her leg suddenly gave in after all those running. She lost her balance and fell down, unable to return the ball. Standing up, she could hear the crowd around the court cheering for the victor.

"7 games to 5. Game, match and set goes to Natsumi Ayako," the referee announced as the game ended.

The two girls approached the net, each extending a hand.

"Congratulations, Natsumi-senpai." Sakuno smiled at her opponent. "You're really a good tennis player."

"Of course, I am," Natsumi spoke while shaking hands with Sakuno. "But you're not that bad."

Sakuno simply smiled as she let go of her senpai's hand. She walked out of the court and through the crowd. She was tired and disappointed. She needed some rest and silence- something she couldn't have in such a crowded place. She needed to get away from everybody.

'_What was I thinking? I can't possibly become a regular. I'm not like Ryoma-kun. This was the expected outcome. So, why do I feel so disappointed? If only I didn't have such high expectations.'_ Sakuno kept on walking while thinking of what had happened.

"Sakuno-chan!" Tomoka's voice pulled Sakuno back to earth.

"T-Tomo-chan!" Sakuno stuttered, startled at the sudden appearance of her friend.

"Where are you going?" Tomoka asked, smiling from ear to ear.

Sakuno just looked down, frowning.

"What's the matter, Sakuno-chan?" The smile disappeared, drowned by worry.

"I-it's just that I wanted to be a regular so badly and..."

"Huh?" Tomoka looked at her, confused. Then, she realized it. "Oh, you left before Ryuzaki-sensei announced the regulars..."

Sakuno stared at Tomoka, not understanding where their conversation was headed to.

"Mou, Sakuno-chan, you lost the match but that doesn't mean you're not a regular." Tomoka said, her wide smile plastered back on her face.

"You mean..."

"You're a regular!" Tomoka jumped up and down in joy.

"But, how did that happen?" Sakuno asked, confused.

"Ryuzaki-sensei was going around, observing the matches. She was grading all the players. After all the matches, those with the highest scores are the regulars."

"Eh? Then, why was the tryouts designed to have a winner- just like in tournaments?" she asked, still confused.

"I think it was to find a new captain," Tomoka answered. Waving her hand, as if to dismiss the topic, she continued, "Forget about that, Sakuno-chan. You're a regular!"

Sakuno smiled then she remembered something. "Anou... Tomo-chan, do you know where senpai is?"

"Senpai?"

"The one who lent me her racket...," Sakuno said as she showed the racket.

"Oh, her. I think I saw her with Ryuzaki-sensei. They were headed to the boy's tennis club."

"I'll go return her racket first, then," Sakuno said as she started walking.

"Wait, Sakuno-chan, I'm going with you," Tomoka said as she went after Sakuno.

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

"Okay, everyone, I'll be introducing you to the captain of the girl's tennis club." Ryuzaki-sensei announced to the regulars of the boy's tennis club. "So that managing both clubs will be easier, I want each of you to be coordinated with the girl's tennis club. Understood?"

"Hai, sensei!" they replied, peeking behind their coach where a female figure can be seen.

The figure stepped out of the coach's shadow and bowed in respect.

The regulars stared at her with the exception of Ryoma who just glanced at her before going back to drinking his Ponta.

"Eh?" Momoshiro was the first to speak.

**-**** o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: Okay, so how was it? I hope it was worth the long wait. Sorry again for the very, very late update. It's just that... urgh... facebook was invented. That's why. Again, I'm sorry. Please leave a review. Comments, suggestions, even flames are welcome. You could even give me a reasonable deadline so that this won't happen again. Anonymous and signed reviews are accepted. Thank you so much for reading this.**

**Thanks to the following who have reviewed in the past chapters:**

**Zero-onE001**

**Yuki Taiki**

**xxTemarixx**

**As well as to the following who have left anonymous reviews under the names:**

**dinpol96**

**sadists...**

**jazz**

**Please be kind; Leave me a review to find.**


	7. Introduction

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o--**

**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.--._._._._**

**Chapter Seven:**

**Introduction**

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Hello, minna-san. Before anything else, I just wish to say that I am sorry for yet another late update. I'm really sorry and I can't even give you an excuse because I don't have a reasonable one. Sorry! Anyway, before you get bored of me. Please do read and review.**

"Okay, everyone, I'll be introducing you to the captain of the girl's tennis club." Ryuzaki-sensei announced to the regulars of the boy's tennis club. "So that managing both clubs will be easier, I want each of you to be coordinated with the girl's tennis club. Understood?"

"Hai, sensei!" they replied, peeking behind their coach where a female figure can be seen.

The figure stepped out of the coach's shadow and bowed in respect.

The regulars stared at her with the exception of Ryoma who just glanced at her before going back to drinking his Ponta.

"Eh?" Momoshiro was the first to speak.

"Nya, she was the girl this morning, right?" Eiji reacted while glancing at the others.

"Yes, she was…," Oishi answered, eyes not leaving her figure.

She smiled. "Satomi Akari, desu. Second year, class 8," she spoke, introducing herself.

Fuji's eyes opened but closed immediately after. _'Satomi Akari…'_

"Second year, class 8?" Eiji repeated as he looked at Momoshiro and Kaidoh.

'_So, she's the one…'_

"Wait, what's your relationship with Echizen?" Inui said holding his pen, ready to write on his trusted green notebook.

_Fuji clenched his fists and he began to tremble._

"Inui-senpai, it's obvious, isn't it? She's Echizen's girlfriend," Momoshiro spoke up.

'_Darn it. Syuusuke get a hold of yourself!'_

Suddenly, everyone was talking except for Tezuka, Ryoma, Akari and Ryuzaki-sensei.

Fuji took a deep breath and opened his fists. He stopped trembling. He put on his usual smile covering up all hatred. "Saa… She's interesting, isn't she?" Fuji spoke looking at Eiji.

"Nya, I guess so…"

"Oh, when will you ask her out again?" He said smiling deviously.

"…" Eiji became silent.

"If you don't do it, I'll announce it to the whole school."

"EH?" Eiji exclaimed looking at his friend. Weighing his options, he decided to just do it himself.

"Satomi-chan, will you go out with me?" Eiji asked.

…

There was silence. Everyone was looking at Eiji and Akari.

"S-senpai?" the others continued staring with the exception of Fuji who was smiling, Ryoma who nearly coughed out his Ponta but immediately went back to normal and Tezuka who was being … Tezuka.

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

"Mou, Sakuno-chan, why do we have to run?" Tomoka asked as she continued following her friend toward the boys' tennis club.

"Because senpai might be heading home now, so we need to hurry," Sakuno explained before turning to her left.

"Yosh! We're here!" Tomoka announced as she also turned to her left before she bumped into Sakuno.

"Mou, Sakuno-chan, why did you suddenly stop?" Tomoka said as she looked around her. "Why… why is everybody so quiet?" she asked looking them.

Silence.

After a few minutes, Akari sighed then looked at Sakuno, smiling. "Yo!"

"A-anou…," Sakuno stammered as she stepped forward handing her senpai the black racket. "Thank you for lending me this, senpai."

"Of course." Akari smiled as she took her racket.

Ryuzaki-sensei snapped her fingers, gaining the attention of everyone. "Alright, if there's nothing more, everyone's dismissed. See you all tomorrow," She said as the male regulars started to walk toward their clubhouse.

"Sakuno-chan, you can go on ahead. I still have some things to take care of." Ryuzaki-sensei said as she walked away.

"Hai, obaa-chan!" Sakuno said as she watched her grandmother turn to a corner.

"So, then, who are you?" Tomoka asked looking at Akari.

"Tomo-chan!" Sakuno exclaimed. "You're being rude to our senpai."

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

"Eh? I didn't know senpai liked Satomi-chan." Momoshiro said, grinning, as he made his way to his senpai.

"No, I don't," Eiji denied.

"Then, why did you suddenly ask her out… in front of us all?" Momoshiro insisted.

"Saa… Maybe Satomi-san is simply Eiji's type." Fuji smiled.

"Eh, so that's your type of girl, huh?" Oishi spoke up.

Eiji went red, bright red.

"Ii… These are interesting data." Inui said as he busily wrote on his notebook.

"Nya, Inui, stop writing!" Eiji said trying to get Inui's pen.

"Senpai, why don't you just admit that-"

"Mou… I lost a bet with Fuji-kun. That's all!" Eiji said as he started changing.

"A bet?" Momoshiro looked at the smiling tensai.

"Eiji, you shouldn't play with a girl's feelings." Oishi shook his head, scolding Eiji.

"I'm going," Ryoma spoke as he closed the door behind him. All the noise ceased, Inui stopped writing and all of them were looking at the door.

"Eh? When did he finish changing?" Momoshiro asked, looking at his teammates before realizing that he was the only one who wasn't finished changing.

"Fssshh…," Kaidoh hissed as he exited.

"Kaidoh, here is your new training menu," Inui said as he walked out the door after the said man.

"I'm going, too," Oishi said as he went out.

"Nya, wait for me, Oishi!" Eiji called out as he ran out the door.

"Eh?" Momoshiro exclaimed as he hurriedly buttoned his shirt before running after Eiji.

"I guess I'm going ahead, too," Fuji said as he walked to the door.

"How do you know Satomi-san?" Tezuka asked, stopping Fuji from going out.

"Why do you ask?"

Tezuka stared at Fuji's back, not answering him.

"You saw that, huh?" Fuji turned around, eyes open and mouth in a fixed line.

Tezuka stared back, unaffected.

"I don't know her," Fuji answered, putting back his mask. "Now, then, I'd appreciate it if you don't concern yourself about this anymore," he continued, still smiling, before walking out.

Tezuka stared at the opening of the door, wondering what this girl had done to have gotten the tensai angry.

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

"_Ohayou gozaimasu, Ryoma-kun!" I greeted him as I saw his figure. I waited for him to turn around, to acknowledge my presence but he didn't. It was as if he didn't hear me. I walked to him and realized that he was talking to someone. "Ryoma-kun?"_

_I approached them and saw that he was talking to Satomi-senpai. They were smiling at each other. "Ohayou gozaimasu, Ryoma-kun, Satomi-senpai!" I greeted again but they didn't stop to greet me back or even to just look at me. They continued talking, completely ignoring me._

"_Ryoma-kun?" I spoke but it still seemed like they couldn't hear me. Then, I felt like I wasn't really there. I screamed and hoped that they would hear me, but they didn't. Why? Senpai? Ryoma-kun?_

_Then, everything around me disappeared- the school, senpai and Ryoma-kun. There was nothing left but darkness. I could still hear them, laughing. I ran to the direction of their voices. I kept on running and running but there was nothing but the endless darkness._

Sakuno's upper body shot up. She was panting and her eyes were wide open, tears streaming down.

"What…? What was that?" she whispered as she wiped tears off her face but they continued to flow from her eyes.

**-**** o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: Okay, so how was that? I hoped you enjoyed it. So, please leave a review to express your opinions and suggestions. I welcome flames and criticisms, and I would appreciate it if some of you would give me a deadline so I won't keep on updating late. Anonymous and signed reviews are welcome. So, please DO leave a review. Thank you!**

**I would like to express my gratitude to shikanta17, Yuki Taiki and Ebbie for leaving reviews.**

**To Ebbie-san, that was a great guess. Unfortunately, I can't tell you if you were right or wrong because that would spoil the fun for everyone, now, wouldn't it? Anyway, you were the first one to guess the plot of this fic and I thank you a lot for that. Thanks!**

**Please be kind; Leave me a review to find.**


	8. Accident

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o--**

**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.--._._._._**

**Chapter Eight:**

**Accident**

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Hello, minna-san! Here's the next chapter, please do read and review.**

"Too early…" Ryoma groaned as he followed Akari out of the Echizen residence to school.

"Early?" Akari asked as she turned to face Ryoma. "You're just accustomed to being late." She said as she smiled at him.

He glared at her, thinking, _'Why do I have to go with her?'_

"Anyway, we should hurry up, o'chibi." Akari said as she played with Ryoma's hair, making it messy. She smiled before running, knowing that he would be going after her.

She ran across the street, not bothering to check if it was actually safe to cross the street. Then, she remembered to look at the street light, eyes widening as she saw the red light flashing brightly.

"Oi!"

---

"Everyone, assemble!" the coach spoke as the members of the tennis club, both boys' and girl's, lined up.

"Okay, everyone, as I have said before, I will be handling both of the tennis clubs. But, since the principal has given me a task, I need everyone to work together. The captains of both clubs will be in-charge of their respective clubs. Understood?"

"Hai, sensei." They responded in chorus.

"Okay, everyone's dismissed." She said as everyone began dispersing. "Members of the girls' tennis club, proceed to your courts."

"Hai, sensei." They started walking off to their tennis courts with Ryuzaki-sensei.

---

"What the-" these words escaped through Akari's lips as she saw a car racing toward her.

Her eyes stayed wide as her feet remained rooted to the spot where she was standing, unable to move. She watched as the car approached her. Then, she remembered… that night.

"Oi!" Ryoma said as he jumped and pushed Akari out of the way.

The screeching sound of tires was heard as the driver tried to avoid Ryoma. A crowd of nosy people gathered around them and their murmuring growing louder by the minute.

"Are you guys alright?" the driver asked as he got out of his car. "You're bleeding." The driver said as he saw the blood flowing from his right leg.

"Are you alright?" Ryoma asked as he looked at Akari, ignoring his own injury.

She was on the ground, back leaning on a wall, head hung low. Ryoma sat in front of her. He stared at her before noticing her eyes.

"Oi," Ryoma said as he gently shook her.

"Maybe she's hurt," a man spoke from the crowd.

"You should probably go to a hospital." Another one spoke.

Ryoma blocked the noise from the background and focused on Akari, shaking her again. Then, tears started to flow from her eyes.

"Oi, Akari!" Ryoma shouted, not knowing what else to do.

Then, her upper body went forward into Ryoma's arms.

"Oi," Ryoma turned Akari's face only to see her eyes closed.

"She fainted." Someone announced.

"Let's take her to a hospital, now." The driver said as he opened the door to the back seat of his car.

Ryoma nodded as he carried Akari into the car before going in himself.

"Wasn't that…?" a man with spiky hair spoke before forcing a whole bread into his mouth.

"I hope they're going to be fine." A woman spoke as she looked worriedly at the retreating figure of the car.

"What happened here, oba-chan(I _think_ this means aunt)?" the man asked when he finally swallowed the bread.

"Ah, well, a student was about to get hit by a car when a guy saved her. They're going to a hospital now." She explained as she looked at the man.

"Did this guy have dark green hair and golden cat-like eyes?" he inquired.

"Yes, he did."

"Do you know what school they came from?" he asked, getting anxious.

"I think it's Seishun High School. I'm not sure, though." She answered, remembering the scene that had just occurred. "But, I do remember him calling the girl 'Akari'."

"Thank you, oba-chan. I've got to go." He said as he hurried away. "Oh, do you know which hospital they're going to?" he asked as he turned.

"I'm afraid not." The woman answered as he watched the man run off.

'_It can't be them, can it? But, who else has dark green hair and golden cat-like eyes? And, there can't be that many Akari's that goes to our school, right?' _He thought as he ran to the tennis courts.

"Momo-chan, you're late." Eiji said as he saw his figure running toward them.

"15 laps for tardiness," Tezuka immediately commanded.

"Fssshh…" Kaidoh hissed, mocking Momoshiro.

"What? 15?!" he reacted when he reached them. Then, he remembered why he had been running in the first place. "Wait, where's o'chibi?" he asked looking at the regulars that had gathered around him.

"Nya, doesn't he always come with you?" Eiji answered, looking at him.

"Is Satomi-chan here?" Momoshiro asked again, looking anxiously at everyone.

"She isn't here yet. What's the problem, Momoshiro-san?" Oishi asked, started to worry.

"Saa… I wonder what could have happened?" Fuji asked, not looking like he was that much of worried.

"Momoshiro, what happened?" Tezuka demanded silencing everyone else.

"I was headed here when-" Momoshiro was cut off by the ringing of a phone.

"Excuse me," Inui said as he answered his phone.

Everyone's eyes were at him, watching him as he flipped his phone open and answered it.

"Nya, Momo-chan, what were you saying-" Eiji stopped and turned his head to Inui, just as everyone else did.

Inui's head was hung low as he picked up the notebook and pen that he had just dropped.

"What happened, Inui?" Oishi asked looking worried.

"Senpai?"

"That was a call from the hospital that is currently treating Echizen and Satomi-san." Inui explained.

"So, it really was them…" Momoshiro said, eyes still wide.

"Eh, what do you mean?" Eiji asked.

Taking a deep breath, Momoshiro started narrating what he had seen and heard.

"Inui, what are their conditions?" Tezuka asked, after Momoshiro finished talking.

"Echizen got wounded on his right leg which is being treated right now while Satomi-san doesn't seem to have any physical injury." Inui paused to see them sighing in relief. "But, she won't wake up."

"What do you mean she won't wake up?" Momoshiro demanded.

"I don't know. That was all that was said." Inui spoke while adjusting his glasses.

"Nya, can we go there now?" They all looked at Tezuka.

"No."

"But-" Momoshiro started to complain but was cut off by their buchuo.

"The principal would not allow all seven of us to go especially if we won't be able to attend our classes." Tezuka explained.

"Ah, so let's go this afternoon, then." Momoshiro said as they all nodded in agreement.

**-**** o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: So, how was it? I hoped you liked it and please do leave a review. I might post the next chappie tomorrow if I receive enough reviews. Please leave comments, suggestions. Flames are also welcome. Anonymous and signed reviews are welcome. Thank you. =)**

**Please be kind; Leave me a review to find.**


	9. Visit

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o--**

**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.--._._._._**

**Chapter Nine:**

**Visit**

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Hello, mina-san! Before anything else, I just want to apologize for this very, very late update. I'm so sorry. Really I am. I can't believe I had the guts to ask for a deadline when I can't even follow it. Sorry. Hopefully, the length of this chapter will make up for my mistake.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own PoT. I never did and never will.**

**Warning: This chapter shows how incapable I am to keep them in character. So, yeah, they're pretty much OOC especially for Tezuka and Ryoma. I think even my OC was OOC. She wasn't acting the way I created her in my mind to. Anyway, you have been warned. Proceed if you still wish to read.**

Her eyes widened as she saw the car approaching. There was only one thought in her mind, _'So, this is what it was like…'_ She heard the tires screeching and she smiled bitterly as she closed her eyes, accepting her fate. Then, she heard her name and felt something or someone push her away. Surprised, her eyes fluttered open. She felt her back gently collide with the wall as she saw a white cap land near her. Seeing this, images quickly flashed in her mind. Then, there was nothing.

---

"Tomo-chan, have you seen buchuo?" Sakuno asked her friend while scanning the area.

"Nope, why?" Tomoka said as she looked around as well.

"What an irresponsible captain. This is why I should be the captain, not the vice. I mean it's her first day as the captain and she didn't even attend our morning practice." Haruka said as she passed by them, followed by Natsumi and Akiko.

"Alright, everyone, our morning practice ends here. Proceed to your classrooms." Ryuzaki-sensei announced as the people slowly made their way out of the tennis courts.

"I wonder what happened to Satomi-senpai." Sakuno said as she started walking with her friend.

"That's Tezuka-senpai, right?" Tomoka pointed at Tezuka talking to the coach.

"Yes…" Sakuno responded as they walked toward them.

"So, they're both in the hospital?" the coach asked as the two joined them.

"Hai, sensei." Tezuka responded.

"Anou… Obaa-chan, who's in the hospital?" Sakuno asked, looking concerned.

"Echizen and Satomi-san got involved in a car accident. They're in the hospital now." Tezuka explained in the coach's stead.

"What?! Ryoma-sama is in the hospital?!" Tomoka exclaimed. "How is he? Is he injured? Is he going to be okay or does he need an operation? Oh my gosh, I should go there now." She spoke so fast that they had a difficulty understanding her.

"Mou… calm down, Tomo-chan." Sakuno said, her hand clasping on the hem of her skirt. She was worried, too. She turned to her grandmother and asked, "May we visit this afternoon?"

"You need to train this afternoon. The competition is coming near and the girls' tennis club regulars have barely started their training. Since your captain is not here, I'll have to stay, too." The coach said firmly, making sure that there would be no arguments. "Is that understood?"

"H-hai," Sakuno and Tomoka answered.

"You should probably go now or else you'll be late."

"Hai." They bowed to both their sensei and their senpai before running off to their class.

"Are you going there?" the coach asked Tezuka.

"Hai, sensei. I'm going to ask for permission from the principal to go there during lunch."

"How about them?" the coach asked, referring to the rest of the boys' tennis club regulars.

"They're planning on going this afternoon." Tezuka answered.

"I guess it's okay. They have trained have enough experience and training for the competition." The coach said as she started to walk to her office.

---

"Mou… Why is your grandmother being so harsh?" Tomoka complained. They were walking toward the tennis courts. "I mean, you can train tomorrow, right? It's not like you'll stay in the hospital forever."

"Anou… Tomo-chan, you can go to the hospital if you want to. I'll just stay here. Maybe I can even go there after the training." Sakuno said, putting her tennis bag on a bench.

"Yeah, right. Like I'll ever leave you here alone with that witch/devil vice-captain of yours. Besides, it's fun to watch you train." Tomoka said.

Sakuno laughed at Tomoka's way of referring to her vice-captain. "Tomo-chan, you shouldn't do that. You're being rude."

"What? It's true, and you're laughing at it, too." Tomoka said in defense. "Anyway, the most important reason why I can't leave you here and let you follow is because you'll get lost."

Sakuno blushed, remembering the many times she would get lost because of how poor she is at directions.

"Alright, everyone, assemble." The coach's voice was heard across the tennis courts.

---

"Yosh! Let's go!" Momoshiro said, energetically.

"Wait, where's Fujiko and buchuo?" Eiji asked, looking around for the two brunets.

"Fuji said he had to do something." Inui said, adjusting his glasses.

"I think Tezuka-kun already went there during the lunch break." Oishi said.

"Okay, then. Let's go!" Momoshiro said, as he started to walk to the school gate.

"Fssshh…" Kaidoh hissed as he followed them.

---

"_What happened?"Akari asked as she stood up, hand on her head. "Ouch, my head hurts." She complained as she looked up. "Eh? Wasn't I in the…" She stopped, holding her head in pain. "I was… 'I was' what? I can't remember. What was I doing?" She walked forward, stumbling every now and then._

"_Where am I? What is this place?" she asked looking around her seeing nothing but darkness. She started to run but found nothing more than darkness. "What's going on?" she asked before she finally fell down._

_She looked down on the ground, trying to remember why she was in such a place. Then, she heard someone crying. She looked up and saw a dim light. She quickly stood up and ran to it only to see that the light was from a street lamp. She looked around and saw a car that crushed into a pole and blood- lots of blood. She looked around again and saw two figures that looked like teenagers, one male and the other female. The girl was on the ground crying while the guy was standing, eyes revealing his pain._

"_What happened? Why are you crying?" Akari asked as she approached the girl. Realizing that it was herself, she gasped._

_Then, Akari looked closely at the girl seeing blood on her clothes. She looked at the pool of blood by the car. She looked at the girl again, asking her if she was alright. Then, she saw it. She saw the lips of the girl moving like she was saying something. Akari looked at the guy and say him leave._

_She looked at the girl's lips closely then realized that she was saying "sorry" repeatedly. Akari reached out for the girl to ask what had happened but she disappeared._

_She looked around once more and saw no one else but herself. She looked at the car then felt a pain shot through her body, bringing her to her knees. She looked at the car again and felt the pain in her head worsen. Then, memories started to flood in her mind._

Akari gasped as her body shot up. Tears were running down her eyes. She wiped them off and scanned the room. "Again… huh?"

---

"She's at room 201, sir." The nurse in the front desk said.

The man thanked her before heading for the said room. Seeing no one else around, she focused her attention to the computer and started checking the records of the patients. Then, she heard some noise. All of a sudden the double doors opened then a group of teens went straight to the front desk, almost crushing into it.

"Nya, what room is Satomi-chan in?" Eiji said. Both he and Momoshiro were leaning forward, face inches away from the nurse.

Surprised the nurse backed away.

"I think it would be better if we stay there first." Inui said as he started to walk to a corner.

"Eh? Why?" Eiji asked before Momoshiro pointed to the wide-eyed nurse. "Oh."

"Excuse me, may I know what room is Satomi Akari-san in?" Oishi asked when the four of them were away.

Hearing Oishi's voice, she snapped out of her trance. "Let me check the records, sir." The nurse said as she browsed through the list of patients in her computer. "She's staying at room 014."

"Thank you." Oishi said as he went to his teammates. "She's at room 014."

---

"This is the room, right?" Momoshiro said, looking at the number 014.

"Nya, Oishi open it." Eiji asked, looking at the door knob.

"Wait, what if they're doing something?" Momoshiro said.

"What do you mean by 'they're doing something'?" Oishi asked, looking at Momoshiro.

"Fsshh…"

"Nya, just open it already." Eiji said, impatiently. He stepped forward to opne the door.

"Wait, buchuo's in there, too, right?" Momoshiro said, stopping his senpai.

"You're right." Eiji said as she quickly stepped back and hid behind Momoshiro.

Eiji and Momoshiro started to argue on who was supposed to open the door and receive the deadly glares from their captain while Oishi tried to stop them. Then, they heard something. Their heads snapped up to find Inui and Kaidoh already inside the room, door still open.

"Eh, where's buchuo?" Eiji asked as he went in, too.

"How come no one's in here?" Momoshiro asked as he looked around the room only to find all seats empty. The sheets were left messily on the bed and the tubes that were supposed to be connected to a patient hang there, liquid dripping out of them.

"What do you mean no one's in here?" Oishi asked as he entered. Worry quickly spreading through his system, he began to panic. "Where are they? What if something happened to them?"

"Nya, what do we do?" Eiji started panicking, too.

"We should just look for them first." Inui said when he finally stopped writing on his notebook. "I've calculated the probability of them being in the different places in this hospital. These are the most probable places." He said as he showed them a page of his notebook.

"Fssshh…" Kaidhoh hissed as he looked at the notebook along with the others.

"Yosh! Let's go search for them." Momoshiro said as he started to go out the room. He was about to open the door when the knob turned.

They became silent, waiting to see who the person was. Then, they saw a familiar white cap and grape Ponta. They watched as he walked in, sipping from his Ponta. He walked to the bed, started at it, placed another can of Ponta on the table then looked at them.

"What did you do to her?" he asked, looking them in the eyes, sending chills down their spines.

"Nya, O'chibi's scary." Eiji said as he moved to hide behind Momoshiro.

"S-senpai!" Momoshiro reacted, looking behind him.

Ryoma glared at them, but stopped when Inui stepped forward.

"We were actually just about to look for her." He said, glasses gleaming.

---

Tezuka peeked through the small opening of the door to the rooftop and saw Akari go over the railing, stepping on the very edge of the building which was only a few inches. Her hands were on the railing to support most of her weight, preventing her from falling. He quickly made his way toward her.

"Satomi-san, you should be in your room." Tezuka spoke in a calm and even voice.

Akari truned to her side to look at Tezuka and that was when she saw it, her lifeless eyes. Surprised, but not one to show such reactions, he simply offered his hand.

"You shouldn't be here."

"I… miss that person…" she whispered but it was loud enough for him to hear.

Tezuka sighed. This was _not_ something he was good at.

"If you miss someone, all you have to do is to look up. You'll see the one thing that connects every person, everything and every place in the world."

Akari kept quiet for a while before speaking, "You're right… but there's one exception." She looked at Tezuka with a sad face. "That place…" she whispered as her hands let go of the railing, letting gravity do its work. Feeling the pull of gravity, she closed her eyes.

"What the-" Akari looked up to see Tezuka holding her arm, keeping her from falling.

She watched as Tezuka pulled her up and seated her on top of the railing. She just stared at him, surprised.

"Echizen got injured while saving you. Don't let his efforts go to waste." Tezuka said as he started to walk away.

Akari stared at his retreating figure then smiled. Eyes once again filled with life. She got to her feet and bowed.

"Arigatou, Tezuka-senpai…" she said as he stopped. "I guess I was being stupid." She continued as she straightened up, in time to see Tezuka nod before he walked in through the door.

'_That's right… I was just being stupid…'_ she thought as she looked up at the sky.

---

'_Why would buchuo suddenly go to the rooftop? He must have seen her.'_ Ryoma though as he ran up the stairs, recalling what their buchuo said after their talk with the doctor.

_Flashback…_

"Before anything else, does Satomi-san have a traumatic experience?" the doctor asked, looking at both Tezuka and Ryoma.

"Yes," Ryoma answered.

"Do you know what it was?"

"No, she doesn't want to talk about it."

"That would be logical." The doctor said as he nodded.

"Sensei, what's wrong with her?" Tezuka asked politely.

"I guess you could say that right now, she's locked up in her mind." He looked at the two who stayed silent, letting him continue. "This is probably her way of escaping. The incident this morning must have had triggered something that caused her to lock herself in her mind. As of now, we don't know how to treat this problem. But rest assured we are doing our best."

"Thank you, sensei," Tezuka said as he stood up followed by Ryoma who sipped from his grape Ponta.

Tezuka opened the door, in time to take a glimpse of something.

"Buchuo?" Ryoma asked walking out the door.

"I have something else to do." Tezuka said as he headed for the stairs.

"Ah," Ryoma answered as he walked to Akari's room.

_End of Flashback_

Ryoma reached the rooftop when he heard two voices. He peeked through the opening of the door to see Akari and Tezuka talking.

"Echizen got injured while saving you. Don't let his efforts go to waste." Tezuka said as he walked toward the door.

Then, Ryoma heard Akari saying thank you. He waited for his buchuo to come in. They stared at each other before Tezuka left, descending the stairs.

Ryoma went through the door and stepped toward Akari.

"Ryoma-kun?" Akari asked, smiling at him.

"Everyone's waiting in your room." Ryoma said as he started walking away.

Akari watched him, staring at his bandaged leg. "Gomen nasai, Ryoma-kun…" she apologized, and then watched as Ryoma continued to walk away. "… and thank you." She continued.

Ryoma smiled ever so slightly before turning around. "Hurry up."

"Yeah, yeah," Akari said, following Ryoma with a smile.

---

"Buchuo?" they chorused when they saw him enter the room.

"Nya, where's o'chibi and Satomi-chan?" Eiji asked, looking behind Tezuka.

Tezuka didn't respond. He simply walked past them and sat down on one of the seats. Then, as if to respond in his stead, the door opened. All heads immediately turned to the door. They waited to see who it was.

"Nya, Fujiko!" Eiji explained when he spotted the brown hair, closed eyes and the unusual smile.

"Fuji-senpai?"

"Fuji…"

"Yo!" he said, greeting them.

"I thought you had something to do?" Momoshiro asked.

"I finished it earlier than I expected. So, where are the two?" Fuji asked looking around and failing to see the reason for their visit.

"Here," Ryoma said as he walked in, behind him was Akari.

"Where have you two been?" Oishi asked, worry still present in his features.

"Nya, I wonder what you two have been doing all this time." Eiji said, smiling.

"Could it be that…?" Momoshiro grinned. "Ah… So young… So young…"

"Fssshh…" Kaidoh hissed. "Is that all that you ever think of?"

"What did you say, mamushi?!" Momoshiro asked, veins popping out.

"Break it up you two." Oishi said, trying to stop them.

"Want a fight, baka?!" Kaidoh said, ignoring his senpai.

"Bring it-" Momoshiro stopped when he felt someone glaring daggers at them.

Momoshiro and Kaidoh looked behind them and saw their buchuo glaring at them. Scared, they quickly sat down, looking down at the floor. Seeing this, Oishi couldn't help but be amazed once again at Tezuka's amazing talents.

"So, how have you been, Satomi-chan?" Eiji asked bouncing up and down, then shoving his head in front of Akari.

"I'm okay now." Akari said, smiling. She saw the Ponta on the table. She looked at Ryoma before grabbing the said Ponta.

"If you're thirsty, I would recommend my new and improved Inui juice. This one was made especially for your quick recovery." Inui said, holding a drinking bottle.

"You should try it, Inui's juices are delicious." Fuji said as he took the bottle from Inui and offered it to Akari.

Everyone's eyes were on them, most were trying to figure out why Fuji would do such a thing.

"A-arigatou," Akari said as she took the bottle and drank from it.

"Nya, Fujiko, why would you do that? You know what it does to us." Eiji asked, looking at his friend.

"Fuji-senpai, this might worsen her case. You know you're the only one immune to that, right?" Momoshiro said as he jumped up.

Eyes on Akari, nobody dared to speak. She was as still as a statue, then she suddenly moved. She placed the bottle on the table.

'_Fuji…? What is it with this drink? Wait… Fuji? Of course…'_ Akari thought.

"She seems to be immune to it, too." Fuji said, smiling his usual smile.

"She's immune, too?!" Eiji exclaimed.

"Ii… Data…" Inui said as he started to write on his notebook.

"Well, if she's immune, then I guess it's okay." Momoshiro said, sitting down again.

Ryoma stood up and sighed. He tugged on his cap as he walked to Akari. Using his forefinger, he pushed her on her forehead. Just as he did, Akari's body fell to the ground.

"You mean…?" they all chorused, with the exception of Tezuka and Fuji. "She faints while standing up?!"

**- o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: So, how was it? Oh, and in case you're wondering… Yes, this is officially the longest chapter I've posted as of yet. Please do leave a review. Comments, suggestions and even flames are welcome. Anonymous and signed reviews are welcome.**

**I would also like to express my gratitude to those who have left reviews from the very first chapter:**

**Zero-onE001**

**Chibisuke1**

**Ebbie**

**shikanta17**

**Yuki Taiki**

**dinpol96**

**xxTemarixx**

**sadists**

**jazz**

**Please be kind; Leave me a review to find.**


	10. Date

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o--**

**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.--._._._._**

**Chapter Ten:**

**Date**

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Again, I am here to apologize for this late update. I hope that someone is still reading this despite my failure to update according to the due date you have given me. Hehe. Okay, so here it is. Please read and review!**

"I wonder if Satomi-senpai is out of the hospital already." Sakuno said, voicing out her thoughts.

"Mou… Sakuno-chan, why do you seem more concerned about her than you are about Ryoma-sama?" Tomoka said, walking beside Sakuno, heading for school.

"Well, obaa-chan told me that Ryoma-kun was alright. He got away with a minor injury and the only reason they were at the hospital yesterday was because something was wrong with Satomi-senpai."

"You mean Ryoma-sama stayed there to watch over _her_? The male regulars even went there to visit, right?" Tomoka said, stopping on her tracks.

"What's wrong, Tomo-chan?" Sakuno asked, stopping as well and turning to her best friend.

"Mou… Sakuno-chan, what are you doing?" Tomoka asked, annoyed.

"What?" Sakuno asked innocently, not knowing what her friend meant.

Shaking her head, Tomoka spoke, "Sakuno-chan, at this rate you'll lose to her. Do you understand what I'm saying?" She looked at her friend who just stared back at her. She sighed before continuing, "She is not only going to steal Ryoma-sama away from you but she will also earn the support of the male regulars. You know what will happen then." She said, walking to the school gate.

Sakuno stood there, watching her friend as she walked further and further away from her. She knew exactly what Tomoka meant. She didn't move, her mind was too busy thinking. She knew the regulars enough to know that if they were to support the pairing they would do anything to get Ryoma and Akari together. They would pretty much force one to the other. They would set them up for dates. Sakuno started to walk to Tomoka, who was waiting by the school gate.

'_But, they don't have to go through the trouble of setting Ryoma-kun and Satomi-senpai up. It's quite obvious that senpai is special to Ryoma-kun.'_ She thought as she smiled bitterly. All her efforts for the past years seemed too much of a waste.

---

_huff. huff._

Ayumi panted heavily as she stopped and rested. She sat on a nearby bench and wiped sweat off her face with a towel. She continued trying to normalize her breathing as she looked down on the ground.

"Fssshh…" Akari's head shot up at the sound and found a sweaty Kaidoh in front of her.

"Ohayou, Kaidoh-kun!" she greeted, smiling at him. She moved to her left, giving space for Kaidoh to sit on.

Kaidoh nodded to acknowledge the greeting before reluctantly taking the seat.

"Do you jog here every morning, Kaidoh-kun?" Akari asked, when she finally regained her normal breathing.

Kaidoh just nodded. Akari smiled. _'He probably jogs every afternoon too.'_ She thought, again noting his muscles.

---

Ryoma was walking around the park, looking for her. _'Why in the world would she suddenly go for a quick jog?'_ Ryoma thought as he made his way to a vending machine. After purchasing two cans of grape Ponta, he continued his search for her. He started drinking from one can and had almost drained one when he finally found her sitting in a bench. He was about to approach her when he saw his senpai. Feeling no need to disturb their conversation, he left the Ponta on top of the bench near the one Akari and Kaidoh had been seating on. After doing so, he headed for school, disposing of his Ponta in a garbage bin on his way.

---

Akari looked at her companion and noticed him looking at the clock. Realizing what time it was, she jumped up. "We're going to be late for practice if we don't get going." She said as she started to walk away.

She passed by the bench and noticed the can of Ponta. She picked it up and immediately felt how cold it still was. She smiled and drank from it. Behind her was Kaidoh, staring curiously at her.

---

"Satomi-chan!!!" Eiji exclaimed before giving Akari a bear hug.

"E-Eiji-senpai… need… air…" Akari said, struggling.

"Gomen, gomen." Eiji said, letting go.

"Eiji, you know that Satomi-san had just been released from the hospital. You shouldn't be doing that to her." Oishi scolded his partner.

"Nya… but-" Eiji pouted.

"No buts." Oishi said firmly.

"Hai…" Eiji agreed, head hanging low.

Akari laughed at them. Then, she went silent when she felt like she forgot, something important. She continued to stare at Eiji before sensing someone walked to her.

"Shouldn't you be at the girls' tennis club?" Ryoma asked silently.

"Right! Ja, minna-san!" she waved goodbye before running off to the other end of the school campus.

---

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Satomi-buchuo!" Sakuno greeted her with a smile.

"Ohayou, Sakuno-chan!" Akari said. "Oh, and you can drop the buchuo. It feels weird being called the captain." She added with a smile.

"H-hai," Sakuno nodded.

"Well, well, if it isn't our incompetent captain." Haruka said, behind her were Natsumi and Akiko. "Seriously, it was your first day as the captain yesterday and you weren't even here. If you didn't want the position then you should have had just left it to me."

"What happened to our deal? I thought you were supposed to respect me as your leader if I won and… I did." Akari looked at them.

"I guess this just means I don't keep my word." She said wearing a sly smile.

She started walking away, behind her was Natsumi, an evil smile spread across her face, and Akiko who smiled apologetically at both Akari and Sakuno.

Akari sighed. "Mou… they're going to be a problem." She said before going to the coach.

Sakuno stared curiously at her captain before assembling in front of her grandmother among the other regulars.

---

"Alright, everyone's dismissed. See you all next week." Ryuzaki-sensei said, before everyone started to disperse.

"Finally, what date is it? Your practice took _so_ long." Tomoka said as she walked to Sakuno. It was late in the afternoon and she had been waiting for Sakuno for hours.

'_Date? Why do I feel like that should be of significance?'_ Akari asked herself, walking beside Sakuno.

"Gomen, Tomo-chan." Sakuno apologized.

"It's fine." Tomoka said before noticing Akari staring at nothing in particular.

"What's wrong with her?" Tomoka said.

"With who?" Sakuno asked, looking at the direction her bestfriend was pointing at, before realizing it was Akari.

'_Date! Of course. I forgot.'_ Akari started running toward the boys' tennis club.

"Eh? Where is bu- I mean, senpai going to?" Sakuno asked.

"Don't tell me…" Tomoka whispered before pulling Sakuno to the same direction Akari ran to.

"W-Where are you pulling me to, Tomo-chan?" Sakuno asked, trying to free herself.

"Mou, Sakuno-chan, don't you get it? She's going to Ryoma-sama. You should act fast before you lose Ryoma to her." Tomoka said as she continued to drag Sakuno to the boys' tennis club.

"Okay, we're here. Now, where is Ryoma-sama?" Tomoka said, letting go of Sakuno and surveying the surrounding.

Then, they both saw Akari and Eiji talking.

"Nya, you mean you agree to go out with me?" Eiji asked energetically.

"Hai, senpai." Akari said smiling.

"E-Eh?!?!" Tomoka and Sakuno exclaimed.

**-**** o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: So, that's the short tenth chapter. Hope you liked it and I assure you that I will try my best to update as soon as possible. Please leave a review to express comments, suggestions and opinions. Anonymous and signed reviews are welcome.**

**Please be kind; Leave me a review to find.**


	11. Mishaps

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o--**

**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.--._._._._**

**Chapter Eleven:**

**Mishaps**

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Okay so it has been, what? Three weeks? Sorry about that. But, to make up for it, I made this super long. So, I hope you like it. Enjoy! *Just wanted to let you know, I have never gone to an amusement park- yeah, I know. Boring childhood- so, spare me. Haha. =)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PoT. I just wish I did.**

"Okay, we're here. Now, where is Ryoma-sama?" Tomoka said, letting go of Sakuno and surveying the surrounding.

Then, they both saw Akari and Eiji talking.

"Nya, you mean you agree to go out with me?" Eiji asked energetically.

"Hai, senpai." Akari said smiling.

"E-Eh?!?!" Tomoka and Sakuno exclaimed.

Eiji and Akari turned to their direction but they had already hid behind a wall.

"Nya, I wonder what that was." Eiji said before walking toward the said wall, making Tomoka and Sakuno nervous.

"It's probably nothing." Akari said, stopping Eiji. At this, Tomoka and Sakuno sighed in relief. "So, then, when and where?" she asked energetically.

Eiji started talking about an amusement park just as Tomoka and Sakuno escaped to the courts where the rest of the regulars were at, still shocked about what they have learned.

---

Eiji tied his shoe laces, thinking about what happened yesterday.

_Flashback…_

"Nya, Satomi-chan, what are you doing here?" Eiji asked, bouncing up and down beside her before giving her a bear hug.

"Actually, I remembered something." Akari said when she was finally freed.

"Eh?!" he asked tilting his head to the left.

"About you asking me out…" Akari said softly.

"Oh!" Eiji's face went bright red. "About that… Fujiko-"

"Fuji-senpai won a bet and you have to go on a date with me for losing." Akari continued his statement.

"Eh? How did you know?" Eiji said, leaning forward and staring straight at her eyes.

"Ryoma-kun described him as a sadistic person and he seemed like the type to do such things."

"G-Gomen nasai…" Eiji apologized, head hung low.

"It's alright. I don't mind, really. Besides there are no classes tomorrow and on Friday, right? I don't have anything to do." Akari said, smiling at Eiji.

"Nya, you mean you agree to go out with me?" Eiji asked energetically.

"Hai, senpai." Akari said smiling.

_End of Flashback_

After making sure that he was properly dressed, he said goodbye to his family. He walked out the door and checked the time when he saw the time.

"Nya, it's already 10 o'clock! I'm going to be late!" he shouted before running off.

---

"Baka, get your feet off of me." Kaidoh said as he struggled to take Momoshiro's feet off of him.

"Shut up, Mamushi. It's not like I can do anything about it. This bush is too small to hide us all." Momoshiro retorted.

"Both of you, shut up or else I'll spread your scandalous photos through the net." Inui threatened.

"Eh? Don't!" they said in unison before finally shutting up.

"Alright, Momoshiro and Kaidoh moved to that bush." Inui instructed as he pointed to the bush beside the one they were cramped at.

"Move it, Mamushi!" Momoshiro said in a hushed, yet still loud, voice.

"You move it. You're using too much space." Kaidoh said in the same hushed voice.

"Inui, I don't think we should be doing this." Oishi said to the man beside him. "We should just respect their privacy. They're having a date. We shouldn't be snooping around."

"First of all, they're not having a date. Eiji is still not here. Next, this is technically not a date. Eiji lost a bet and we are here to make sure things don't get out of hand." Inui replied to a nodding Oishi as he stretched his hand to stop a sleepy Ryoma from escaping.

"Senpai, why do I even have to be here?" Ryoma asked. "Why didn't you just ask Fuji-senpai to come? He would have loved to." He complained.

"I did and he said he had stuff to do. So, you're here as a substitute." Inui answered, letting go of Ryoma.

Ryoma took this as a chance to escape and he would be on his way to his bed in his room if not for what Inui said.

"I have photos of you, too."

Grudgingly, Ryoma sat beside Inui and watched as Akari stood up and greet Eiji.

---

"An… amusement park?" Momoshiro asked as the rest sweat dropped. They knew Eiji was childish, but they didn't think that they would seriously go to an amusement park.

"Yosh, first stop… the merry-go-round!" Eiji said, excited. He took Akari's hand and dragged her to the ride.

"Let's go…" Inui mumbled after recomposing himself to continue gathering his precious data, as he discreetly followed the two.

Oishi hesitantly followed with Momo and Kaidoh whispering insults to each other behind him. They hid from tree to tree not realizing that Ryoma simply opened a fresh-from-the-vending-machine Ponta, drinking as he casually walked with the other people in the park.

"Two tickets please," Eiji said in a manner that made him look like an overgrown child who was going to ride a merry-go-round for the first time. "Let's go!" Eiji took her hand once more and dragged her to sit on one of the horses.

Their five stalkers hid behind a large bush, trying to hide themselves but failed miserably especially with the whispered verbal assaults which were loud enough for people within 10 feet to hear.

---

"Nya, that was fun." Eiji said, jumping out of the horse he had sat on.

Akari simply smiled as she skipped to his side. "So, then, Eiji-kun, what do we do next?"

"Bumper cars!" Eiji announced as they headed to the direction of bumper cars.

They each took one. Immediately after claiming his, Eiji started the war between the two. They kept on bumping with each other, laughing.

"Don't you think they're bumping each other with too much force? What if someone get hurt?" Oishi started to worry, placing down the tray of food he had on top of a table. He was disguised as a waiter in a nearby restaurant but his unique hair cut easily gives him away.

"Oishi-senpai, you're worrying too much." Momo said as he forced all of the food in the tray down his throat.

"Baka," Kaidoh muttered, looking away.

"What did you say, Mamushi!" Momoshiro had his hands clenched tightly into fists.

"Both of you stop that." Oishi tried to stop their verbal fight but failed.

"Oishi, did you know how easy it is to upload photos and post them in the net. You see, all you have to do is…" Inui trailed off, as he refocused his attention to Eiji and Akari since Momo and Kaidoh have gone quiet. His eyebrows furrowed.

"What's wrong, Inui?" Oishi asked, looking at the direction that Inui was staring at. Momo and Kaidoh did the same.

They were so quiet and focused that they were surprised when Ryoma noisily placed his Ponta on the table and stood up, his chair screeching against the cement. Three sets of eyes were on him while Inui's remained focused on what seems to be a bumper car out of control with Akari on it.

"Aaaah!" the scream made Oishi, Momo, and Kaidoh look back to the bumper cars, in time to see the bumper car go back and forth repeatedly then go to a sudden halt, tossing Akari into the air. With great effort, Akari made a single flip before landing on her two feet.

Not even stopping to think, the five of them dashed to the area of the accident. They pushed to the crowd that have immediately gathered and saw Eiji hugging Akari.

"Nya, Satomi-chan, are you okay?" he said after releasing her from his tight hug, shaking her.

"Yup, I'm fine." Akari smiled as she stood up and patted the dirt off of her pants.

"Maybe you should go have her checked." A man in the crowd suggested to Eiji.

"No, I'm fine. Really," Akari assured them all as she skipped away from the crowd. She cringed at her first step but hid it from Eiji as she dragged him away from the crowd. The five disappeared before the crowd dispersed to reveal them.

"Satomi-chan, are you sure you don't need to see a doctor or something?" Eiji asked, concerned.

"Nope," Akari said, smiling at him. "So, where do we go next?"

Eiji looked at Akari from head to toe-evaluating if she really is fine- before answering, "Ferris wheel!" he smiled as he pointed to the gigantic wheel for Akari to see.

Eiji ran to it with Akari following closely behind. After buying tickets they proceeded to the line.

"Oi, oi!" Eiji exclaimed when he was pushed into a cart, the door trapping him in before he could pull Akari with him.

Akari looked bewildered as she took the next cart. She sat down and found herself alone with a note on the opposite seat. On the outer part of it was "Satomi". Not knowing what else to do, she took the note and read it.

_ Haven't you had enough of hurting people?_ _Stay away from them before anyone gets hurt._

She had only finished reading the first statement and yet her eyes were already teary, memories flashing back on her mind. When she had finished reading the two sentences for the fifth time, she noticed that she was at the highest point of the Ferris wheel. She took a moment to appreciate a view of the city but ended up remembering the parts of her past that she had tried so hard to bury in her mind. Just as the wheel completed it's 360 degrees turn, Akari had managed to recompose herself and wear a smile, note hidden in her pocket.

"Satomi-chan!!" Eiji said as gave her a bear hug. "Gomen, I don't know what happened."

"It's okay," Akari said as she looked around. "Where do we go now?" she said with as much enthusiasm as she could manage.

"We should go eat first." Eiji said as he looked around for something to eat. "Ice cream!" he announced as they headed for an ice cream shop which was located near a river.

---

"Let's go," Momoshiro whispered as he eagerly walked toward the shop.

"Senpai, you don't get full, do you?" Ryoma said as he walked in a more casual way.

"Baka," Kaidoh hissed as he followed.

"Inui, don't you think we've followed them long enough?" Oishi asked. "We should give them some privacy."

"There are some things that I still need to confirm." Inui said, unconcerned about depriving people of their privacy.

When they entered the shop, they immediately spotted the two sitting at a corner. They took a table that had a perfect view of Eiji and Akari but could still conceal them.

"What do you guys want?" Momo asked as he looked at his options.

"That one," Ryoma said, pointing to the most expensive one.

"Eh…" Momoshiro was about to comment on Ryoma's choice but was cut short.

"You're treating us, right?" Ryoma said, confidently.

"What?" Momo nearly stood up.

"If that's the case then I'll one, too." Oishi said, smiling. "Thank you."

"Eh?!" Momo's eyes were open wide, almost as if they would fall off any moment.

Then, they heard someone stand up.

"I'm going to go closer to hear them." Inui said as he looked at Eiji enthusiastically narrating something to Akari. "Kaidoh come with me."

Without a word, Kaidoh stood up and followed Inui. Ryoma, Momo and Oishi simply stared at them.

---

Akari laughed as Eiji narrated about some interesting happenings during their time, as a team, during their middle school. Eiji's story was interrupted when two tall men, approached their table. They looked up and saw a guy with glasses and the other with a familiar green bandana on his head, both wearing the uniform of the shop.

"May we have your order?" the one with the glasses asked, holding up a pad and a pen.

"Nya, we already gave our orders." Eiji said as he looked at them, smiling.

The two men looked surprised as they slowly walked away.

Akari sat opposite to Eiji. She was facing the other way, hands over her mouth as if to contain her laughter. After regaining her composure she looked back at Eiji.

"Here are your orders, sir, and ma'am." A female voice said as she approached the table, a tray with their orders in hand.

She was a few meters away from Eiji and Akari when she tripped over Kaidoh's feet. She would have fallen, face first, if not for the two strong hands that had pulled her back to her feet. But the tray had slipped out of her grasp. It hit the table, the ice cream making a mess that was concentrated on Akari's side of the table.

"Gomen nasai, hontoni gomen nasai. (Sorry, I am really sorry.)" the waitress said as she bowed repetitively.

"Satomi-chan, are you alright?" Eiji stood up, but before he could help clean the mess the ice cream had created, Akari had already stopped him.

"I'm fine." She said as she took a handful of tissue from the table and wiped the ice cream off of the portion of the seat beside her. That was when she noticed something weird about the ice cream. She was careful not to let her skin touch the ice cream. When she was done she saw that the chair had been slightly deformed. She looked the mess on the floor which the waitress was cleaning and found it to be found it to be normal. After dumping the tissues in the trash can that the man with the green bandana took Akari eyed the two glasses. One, despite being made of glass, had been slightly deformed as if acid had been contained in it while the other had a few spoonful of suspicious powder at the bottom. She was about to take it to look at it more when a hand grabbed both glasses and placed them on the tray. Akari looked up to see the man with glasses. They looked at each other's eyes and it was clear to both that they suspect the same thing.

Akari watched the three of them go before turning back to her "date" then later realize that he had been quiet, too quiet.

"Eiji… kun?" Akari asked as she looked at his childish face. "What's the matter?" she asked, forcing the panic out of her tone.

"Nya, do they look familiar, Satomi-chan?" Eiji asked, referring to the three. "Why do I feel like I know them?"

Akari sighed in relief. All her fears about Eiji realizing what was happening and him reacting violently to it immediately disappeared. "I don't know…" she said, lying. She had seen through their all too obvious disguise as soon as they showed themselves.

"Oh," Eiji said before continuing with his story like nothing happened.

---

"So you guys were also following Eiji and Satomi-san." Oishi said when Tomoka finished talking.

"We were… curious." Tomoka said.

"Stop scooping from my ice cream, senpai." Ryoma said as he moved his ice cream away from Momo.

"Are you forgetting that I paid for it?" Momoshiro said as he reached for the ice cream but failed.

"Sakuno-chan, how was it?" Tomoka said as soon as she saw her friend.

"What are you carrying, Inui?" Oishi asked, eyeing the tray.

"Sakuno?" Momo said as he looked up to see her.

"It's nice to see you, Momo-chan-senpai, Oishi-senpa, Ryoma-kun." Sakuno greeted bowing. She was still wearing the waitress uniform, her hair curled but still reached the middle of her back and she was wearing glasses.

"…" Momoshiro stared at her before looking at Ryoma who also had a hard time taking his eyes off of her. Seeing this as an opportunity, Momoshiro started to tease Ryoma but his stomach wanted something else. So, he took Ryoma's ice cream and forced it down his throat.

"Echizen, is someone after Satomi-san?" Inui asked as he and the other two took their seats.

Ryoma stared at his senpai before answering. "None that I know of."

"Why? What's going on with Satomi-chan?" Momoshiro asked, leaving the glass on the table.

"What's the matter, Inui?" Oishi asked in a concerned voice.

"Ryuzaki-san, where did you get these?" Inui asked, ignoring the questions directed at him.

"Anou… I got it from back there," Sakuno said, pointing to the door where they make the ice cream.

"What's going on, senpai?" Tomoka asked, not understanding where Inui's questions were leading to or where they were coming from.

Inui didn't speak he just showed them the glasses.

"Fsssh…" Kaidoh hissed while the others remained silent.

"One glass is slightly deformed due to something acidic contained in it." He said pointing to the one on the right. Then, he continued as he pointed to the other one, "As you can see this one has large amounts of substance at the base. I still need to have the substances analyzed if I want specifics."

"So, someone was trying to kill them." Oishi said, horrified.

"That seems to be the case." Inui responded, adjusting his glasses.

They all stayed silent and the atmosphere began to feel heavier by the minute.

"So, we just need Fuji-senpai and Tezuka-senpai and we will be complete." Tomoka said, trying to lighten the mood. It was too serious for her.

"Actually, I called them both to come here. Fuji said he can't come because he has important things to take care of but Tezuka agreed." Inui said, distracted.

"B-buchuo?" Momoshiro looked at Inui, not believing what he had just heard.

The others had the exact same expression.

"Aaaaaah!!!!" they heard a scream from the outside. Without thinking twice, they ran to where it came from.

"S-Satomi-chan!" Eiji screamed as he watched her fall off and get swallowed by the water below.

"What happened, Eiji?" Inui asked.

"Eh?! What are you guys doing here?" Eiji looked at them surprised.

"We'll explain later." Inui said.

"Satomi-chan said she wanted some fresh air so she went out. She was here for awhile so I followed her in only to see a person push her."

They heard Ryoma curse, making them look at him.

"What?"

"She'll drown."

"Nya, you mean she can't swim?!"

"The current is too strong." Ryoma said as he removed his jacket and prepared to jump in when someone pulled him back and jumped in without a word.

**-**** o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: Okay, so this is officially the longest chapter I've written as of yet. How was it? Please do leave a review. Comments, suggestions and flames are welcome. Both anonymous and signed reviews are accepted. Thank you.**

**Please be kind; Leave me a review to find.**


	12. Drowning

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o--**

**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.--._._._._**

**Chapter Twelve:**

**Drowning**

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Hi, mina-san! Sorry for the very late update but I needed some serious motivation after not receiving a single review for the last chapter. That really put me down… and to think that that was my longest chapter ever. Anyway, here's the next chappie. Hope you enjoy it!**

"Satomi-chan said she wanted some fresh air so she went out. She was here for awhile so I followed her in only to see a person push her."

They heard Ryoma curse, making them look at him.

"What?"

"She'll drown."

"Nya, you mean she can't swim?!"

"The current is too strong." Ryoma said as he removed his jacket and prepared to jump in when someone pulled him back and jumped in without a word.

The water splashed as the person dived into the cold water. For a few minutes, they stared at the waters and the figure of a person swimming toward Akari.

"What is he doing here?" Ryoma asked, looking at Inui.

Recovering from the shock, Inui adjusted his glasses, saying, "I told you about this, didn't I?"

The others stared at him, still shocked. Silence fell upon them until someone remembered why they were there. Eiji took off, running to where the current was taking Akari and the unexpected man. Realizing what he was doing, the others followed, still bewildered.

---

**Akari's POV**

Think, Akari, think. When did this start? What was the first incident? Our trip to this park was safe... No one got hurt in the merry-go-round. The first incident happened with the bumper cars. The one that I rode was definitely sabotaged. But, the culprit couldn't have done it before senpai and I went there. Because there was a specific target, me. But, he couldn't have possibly sabotaged the bumper car so fast. The time between me choosing the car and me riding it, couldn't possibly been enough. How could this person have ascertained that I would ride the bumper car that was sabotaged? How? Hmn…

Of course! How could I forget? That man who was helping the customers with their bumper cars had insisted I use that bumper car saying that the color suited me. How could I possibly have been so stupid?! Well that narrows the list… a bit. I'm looking for a male.

"Satomi-chan?" My thoughts were interrupted by senpai. I looked at him and saw the worry in his eyes. Another mistake, I must have worried him by my silence. I wasn't even listening to his stories anymore.

"Gomen, Eiji-kun… I just need some air." I excused myself, standing up and heading for the door towards the patio.

I slid the glass door open and felt the wind against my face. I shivered but continued towards the railing, securing the customers from falling over the waters below. While looking at the small waves of water I couldn't help but think of what was happening. The next incident happened right after the first one. No one got hurt but I was threatened. My head was starting to hurt. I looked around and noticed that there was no one with her at the said patio. I turned back to the waters, leaning my weight on to my left leg, relieving my right one of any additional pain. I pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to get myself to focus on the next incident instead of the pain on my right ankle.

"Darn!" I muttered as I couldn't help but punch the cement railing. The person who was behind all this was not joking when he implied that others would get hurt. Why couldn't he just hurt me? Why would he involve the others around me? The ice cream awhile ago… any one of Eiji-kun and me could have taken the one with the acidic substance on it! My hands went up to my head, finger combing my hair. The one who would have taken the glass with the powdery substance would have a greater chance of living because poison takes time to take effect. I groaned then stopped when I heard the sound of the glass doors sliding open. Who was that? Before I could turn to take a look, someone had already pushed me down to be swallowed by the raging waters, a scream finding its way out of me.

I never thought that struggling against the water would be this hard. Why do I keep on getting pulled down? I asked myself as I pushed myself to try to get to the surface. But, all my efforts were fruitless. I keep on getting dragged back down. It felt as if someone was pulling on my right ankle. I looked down and saw only darkness… darkness that slowly, but continually, surrounding me. I looked up, searching for some light. But, there was nothing but darkness. I couldn't feel anything anymore. It was like I was simply floating in dark space.

Was I going to die like this? Probably, huh? What's wrong with me? It's like I don't even have the desire to live on. Oh, well. I guess I deserve this. I closed my eyes and accepted my death. That was when I felt two arms, not too muscular but strong, wrap around me and pull me up. Startled, I tried to open my eyes but failed. It was as if something was keeping it shut. I couldn't see, but I could hear and feel. I could still feel the two arms around me and the waves tossing me and my "savior" around. I could hear the water smashing against our bodies, as well as the water that have managed to enter through my ears. My throat and lungs were burning from the salt water that I have managed to swallow. I turned to the man that was helping me, then I blacked out again.

I could feel something pushing against my chest. I could feel my back against something solid yet soft. We were out of the water. I tried to open my eyes to evaluate where I was but the pushing started again. The burning in my lungs and throat worsened as the salt water was forced out of my system. I choked the water out and rolled to my side, away from the man who helped me. I tried to sit up, but my body was still weak and the arm keeping me down wasn't helping either. I tried to open my eyes to look at the man but they immediately closed because of the salt water. Unable to think of any other way, I started to cry, clearing my eyes. When I was done and sure that I would be able to keep my eyes open this time, I looked up to see Tezuka-buchuo. He still had his arm on my shoulders, keeping me down. His clothes were soaked, his hair wet with droplets of glittering water on it and his glasses were nowhere to be seen. I smiled a small smile, he looked more approachable without his glasses on. Then, I noticed that he was panting. That was when I realized that Iwas panting, too, and that every breath I took brought pain to me. My lungs and throat were still burning because of the salt water. I couldn't help but cringe.

"Are you alright, Satomi-san?" He asked, noticing me cringe.

"H-hai, Tezuka-buchuo." I whispered, my voice low and hoarse.

"Buchuo?" He questioned, slightly raising an eyebrow.

"Can't explain now." I whispered again, a hand finding its way to my throat. I can't explain now. It just worsens the pain. I watched him nod, understanding what I meant. Then, something entered my mind.

"Arigatou," I whispered, it was so soft that I thought he wouldn't have heard me, but he nodded so I guess he did.

For the next few minutes we did nothing but to steady our breathing and look at the sky. I watched the clouds move just to get my attention of the aching in my lungs and throat and it pretty much worked. After some time, we heard people approaching us. I sat up, this time, unhindered by his arm. When I have managed to sit up properly, I felt something pin me back to the ground.

---

**Normal POV**

"Eiji! You shouldn't do that." Oishi spoke, trying to pry his doubles partner off of a soaking wet Akari. "Satomi-san can't breathe!"

"Gomen, gomen, gomen ne?" Eiji kept repeating while locking Akari in one of his bear hugs. He didn't even hear Oishi speaking to him.

"Satomi-chan, are you okay?" Momoshiro asked, looking at her.

"I'm fine but Eiji-kun, could you get off of me?" She said, feeling the pain in her throat and lungs again.

"Fssshh…" Kaidoh hissed.

Eiji turned to look at Kaidoh but froze when he saw him. Then, as if the plugs in his ears were removed. He heard Oishi's words. He wordlessly let go of Akari and stood up. Everyone watched silently in the background. Kaidoh's face remained the same as he fluidly removed his jacket off and handed it to Akari. Then, he looked away, blushing.

"Arigatou, Kaidoh-kun." Akari said, standing up and accepting the offered jacket to her. She wrapped it around herself, leaving it to hang by her shoulders.

Then, the teasing started. Momoshiro and Eiji started whistling and making jokes about them while Oishi tried to stop them but failed.

"Either I didn't know about this part of you or that was simply not like you." Inui said as he sat down beside Tezuka, watching the others joke around.

"Hn," was all Tezuka said in response.

"Anyway, that was an interesting addition to my data." Inui said, handing Tezuka something which gleamed against the sun.

Tezuka silently took his glasses and wore it. He watched the others as they made fools of themselves. Then, he noticed Inui look up then walk away. Then, he felt someone sit beside him.

"Arigatou, buchuo." Ryoma said, tugging on his cap.

Tezuka looked at him, then back to the others. "Why are you thanking me for something I did for her?" he asked, looking at Akari.

Ryoma looked at his buchuo then noted that he was unusually talkative. "She's important to me." Ryoma muttered, looking at her, too.

Tezuka just nodded.

---

"Mou, Sakuno-chan, why are you so slow?" Tomoka asked as she helped her best friend to stand up after she tripped.

"Gomen, Tomo-chan." She said, furiously blushing.

"You don't need to apologize." Tomoka said, smiling at her friend. "Now, then, where did they go to?" she said looking around. Then, she froze.

"Tomo-chan, what's wrong?" Sakuno asked, looking at her friend.

"They're gone." Tomoka said in a whisper.

"What do you mean they're gone?"

"Sakuno-chan, they were there awhile ago." Tomoka said, pointing to the spot where the others found Tezuka and Akari. "Now, they're gone."

"Eh?!" Sakuno said as both she and Tomoka ran to the said spot.

"How could they have forgotten about us?" Tomoka said, enraged.

"Mou, mou," Sakuno spoke, trying to calm her friend down. "They were probably worried about Satomi-senpai, so they-"

"That is exactly what I meant, Sakuno-chan." Tomoka cut her off. "I already told you before. Are you really just going to watch as she-"

"I know, Tomo-chan. You don't have to tell me again." Sakuno said, her voice sad.

"Fine," Tomoka said, crossing her arms against her chest.

Sakuno looked at the ground then noticed something. Curious, she picked it up.

"What's that?" Tomoka asked, noticing the wet paper Sakuno had in her hand.

"I don't know," Sakuno answered, opening it carefully so that it won't reap.

"The ink is smudged. It's hard to read." Tomoka said, looking at the paper.

"H-have… nt… you… had… e-enou… gh… of… hur… ting… people. Stay… a… way… fro…m… them… be… fore… anyone… get…s hurt." Sakuno said as she read the smudges.

"What was that about?" Tomoka asked. "Anyway, we better head home." She said before starting to walk away.

"H-hai!" Sakuno said, carefully placing the paper in her pocket.

---

"Eh?" Momoshiro looked up, thoughtfully. Then, he looked at his companions. They were all walking to the Echizen residence to make sure no more troubles would arise.

"What is it, Momoshiro-kun?" Oishi asked, looking at him.

"It's just that I feel like we forgot about something." He said to Oishi who was the only one who noticed him. Then, he looked at them one by one. _'Eiji-senpai, Oishi-senpai, buchuo, Inui-senpai, Mamushi, Echizen, Akari…'_

"Eh?! We forgot about Ryuzaki-chan and her friend!" Momoshiro said, earning the attention of everyone.

**-o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N(VERY, VERY, VERY IMPORTANT): And here ends the twelfth chapter. How was it? Please do leave a review. Seriously, leave one. Since I can't get myself to write a chapter without a review, I just won't. I'm not bluffing. I'm serious! If I don't get a review from you, there won't be a next chapter. So, please leave a review. Comments, suggestions and flames are welcome. Both anonymous and signed reviews are accepted. =)**

**For those who don't know, an anonymous review is a review which can be given without having to sign in. I enabled this kind of review for people who are just too lazy to log in to leave a review and, of course, for the readers who do not have and account.**


	13. Call

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o--**

**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.--._._._._**

**Chapter Thirteen:**

**Call**

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Hello, minna-san! Okay, so this might well be my fastest and shortest update just yet. Hehe. Still, I hope you enjoy it and please leave a review!**

**Disclaimer(I haven't put one in awhile): I do not own PoT or any of its original characters.**

"Eh?! We forgot about Ryuzaki-chan and her friend!" Momoshiro said, earning the attention of everyone.

Everyone froze and stared at him, all of them realizing it, too. They fell silent.

"Ryoma-kun, go!" Akari said, looking at him.

Ryoma looked back at her, unsure of what to do.

"That's an order from your nee-san. It's higher than that from your captain." Akari grinned at him.

"Eh?" the rest reacted at her second statement.

"Ah," Ryoma smirked back at her before taking off.

They watched as he rushed off to the direction they had come from.

"That idiot. I can't believe he hasn't changed much. He's still like the way he was nine years ago." Akari murmured as she turned around.

"Nya, Akari-chan," the others noted the difference in how he addressed her. "How did you become o'chibi's sister?"

"I was seven when my parents decided to fly me to America… alone. I was strangely independent by that age, which would probably be the reason why they would do that to me. I got into some trouble and the Echizen family took me in. Ryoma was six at that time." Akari spoke in her still hoarse voice. "I became a sister figure for him since I stayed with their family for four years. It was fun. I would often get in quarrels with his real brother because we were both possessive." She continued with a smile.

"Eh? Echizen has a brother?" Momoshiro asked.

"Yup," she answered before looking up. "It's getting late. Thanks for the help. I think I can manage from here on."

"Satomi-san, are you sure you'll be fine on your own." Oishi asked, worrying. "We wouldn't mind walking you to your home."

"Nya, especially Kaidoh-chan!" Eiji teased expecting to receive a deadly glare from Kaidoh in return but all he saw was a blushing Kaidoh. This made Eiji tease him more, with Momoshiro joining in the fun.

"Thanks but I think I can manage, Oishi-senpai." She answered, ignoring the teasing and the noise. "I'll be going now." She said, bowing to her three senpais before leaving.

"I need to confirm the information she gave us. Ja," Inui said before leaving, notebook and pen in hand.

"Fsssh…" Kaidoh hissed as he followed Inui, ignoring Momoshiro and Eiji.

"Don't let your guard down," was all Tezuka said as he walked away.

Then, an idea crossed Momoshiro and Eiji's mind. "Oishi-senpai…" Momoshiro started.

"Let's go eat some burgers before going home, nya!" Eiji continued.

"O-okay," Oishi said, unsure of what they were planning.

"Great! You're treating us!" Eiji said as he dragged his doubles partner to a burger joint. Following them was a grinning Momoshiro.

"Eh?!" Oishi exclaimed.

---

"Tadaima," Akari whispered in the empty house. Ryoma was looking for Sakuno, his parents were back at America and his cousin was at her friend's house.

Akari went to the kitchen after removing her shoes. She brought out the water from the refrigerator and drank until the pitcher was almost empty.

Feeling her clothes sticking to her skin, she went up to her room which was just beside Ryoma's. She took a shower. After changing she went to her bed and noticed her cell phone sitting on the desk. She took it and dialed a number.

"Hello?" a male voice answered from the other line.

"Hey! It's me, Satomi Akari."

"Akari-chan! It's been a long time since you called. What do you need from me?"

"What's that supposed to mean? I don't call just because I need something from you. I also call to know how you are."

There was laughter before the voice spoke again. "Really, you haven't changed at all."

"What did you expect. I'm stubborn, remember?" There was, once again, laughter on the other end of the line. Akari sat down on the bed.

"So, what do you need?"

"I need to find a new apartment."

"What happened? I thought you moved out of the last one because a friend will take you in."

"Yeah, but I just thought that this isn't me. I feel like I'm being too dependent. I want to go back to being independent."

"You're really weird, you know that?"

"Yup." Akari smiled.

"How about a house?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.

"It's not too large nor is it too small. It's close to Seishun High School. So, I think it's perfect for you."

"I guess that's okay. Thanks a lot."

"No problem. I have to go now. A client's here. I'll arrange the papers for you. You can move in in no more than two days."

"Okay. Thanks again." Akari said as she flipped her phone close and returned it on top of her desk. She laid her head down, her feet dangling down the side of the bed. "I guess it's a good thing that I haven't unpacked all my things yet. It pays to be lazy." She said, smiling, but her eyes were sad.

After a few more minutes of staring at the ceiling she stood up and went down stairs. She went to the kitchen and scanned the refrigerator for something to cook. Then she heard the door slide open and close.

She started walking towards the door. "Ryoma-kun, what do you want for dinner? Curry or-" She stopped when she saw him soaking wet. "What happened to you?" She asked as she quickly took a towel from a cabinet and handed it to him.

"I didn't see her," was all he said as he took the towel and dried his hair.

"I'll go prepare a hot bath for you…" Akari said as she went to the bathroom. _'What's happening to me? I didn't even notice that it was raining.'_ She thought as she looked out and found the ground to be dry. _'It didn't rain? What happened to him, then?'_ She heard the door open and she turned around, saying, "Why are you soaking wet when it didn't even rai-" She was cut off when she saw what was in front of her.

---

A tall man wearing a mask walked away from a crying girl. She was curled up in the corner of their living room. She was trembling, her eyes staying on the box that the man placed beside her. She heard the door close behind the man. Then, she screamed. She cried harder and trembled even more.

The man outside heard her scream and a smile formed in his lips. He continued to walk away, throwing his mask and knife in a trash bin he passed by. His brown hair shined under the street lights as he continued to walk away. No one knowing what he had just done. He passed by a public comfort room and went in. He went directly to a sink and washed his red hands with soap and water. After finishing this, he went out and walked away, disappearing under the night sky.

**-o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: So, how was it? I know it's short… shorter than my already usually short updates. But, I just had to update now since I'm going back to school on Monday and I'll be a bit busy. Still, I'll try to update soon. Please leave a review. Comments, suggestions and even flames are welcome. Both anonymous and signed reviews are welcome.**

**Thanks to the following who left a review for the past few chapters:**

**Anonymous(don't look at me, that was the name that was given. Hehe.)**

**chibisuke1**

**Siruiscloud68**

**xxTemarixx**

**Yuki Taiki**

**Zero-onE001(There, it's in alphabetical order now. =D)**

**Please be kind; Leave me a review to find.**


	14. Box

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o--**

**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.--._._._._**

**Chapter Fourteen:**

**Box**

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Hello, minna-san!! I think this is the record for my fastest update. Two days! Okay, so get ready for another messed up chapter. Hope you enjoy reading and please do leave a review.**

She started walking towards the door. "Ryoma-kun, what do you want for dinner? Curry or-" She stopped when she saw him soaking wet. "What happened to you?" She asked as she quickly took a towel from a cabinet and handed it to him.

"I didn't see her," was all he said as he took the towel and dried his hair.

"I'll go prepare a hot bath for you…" Akari said as she went to the bathroom. _'What's happening to me? I didn't even notice that it was raining.'_ She thought as she looked out and found the ground to be dry. _'It didn't rain? What happened to him, then?'_ She heard the door open and she turned around, saying, "Why are you soaking wet when it didn't even rai-" She was cut off when she saw what was in front of her.

Akari sighed. "Ryoma-kun," she started, looking like she was about to give a lecture. "You shouldn't be removing your shirt off in front of a girl like that."

"Ah?" Ryoma smiled amused. "Haven't you seen me like this a lot of time before already?"

"That's not my point." Akari sighed before making her way out the bathroom. "You better tell me what happened later."She said as she left Ryoma to take a bath.

---

"Ryoma-kun, where are you going?" Akari asked from the kitchen when she noticed him pass by.

Ryoma did nothing but to stare at her.

"Nanako-san said she won't be back until tomorrow so I'm cooking breakfast." She said as if Ryoma was asking her what she was doing up so early when she would normally be sleeping until noon. "Where are you going?"

"Sakuno," he answered with a look on his face.

"I'm coming with," was all that was heard of Akari as she rushed off to her room to change clothes.

---

"Sakuno-chan, are you alright?" Tomoka asked her best friend as she offered her a glass of juice.

Sakuno didn't say anything. She just kept on looking at the door as her shaky hand reached for the glass. She took a small sip before continuing to stare silently at the door.

"Sakuno-chan?" Tomoka called out to her friend. "I need you to speak!" she said, frustrated.

"S-Sakuno-chan?" a voice came from the door.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Tomoka said, hostile to her appearance. "It's your fault this is happening. Why did you even have to show up and-" She started to accuse Akari but was cut off when Sakuno finally spoke.

"Ryoma-kun," her voice was weak, but it was enough for everyone in the room to hear.

Fuji stood up from the sofa. "Osakada-san, maybe you should go out to calm down first." He said as he guided her out. On their way out, he and Akari made eye contact.

"Fsssh…" Kaidoh hissed as he passed by Akari. She was still staring at Fuji's back. Ryoma started to walk toward Sakuno, who was covered in a blanket on another sofa.

Momoshiro, who was strangely quiet, made his way to Akari. "Satomi-chan, you'll tell us if something or someone is bothering you, right? We can help." He said as he headed outside.

Akari's eyes opened wide, then went back to normal. "Where are Eiji-kun and Oishi-senpai?" she asked Inui who was about to go out.

"They had things to do. Coach Ryuzaki is not yet back from their seminar." Inui answered, stopping by her side.

"Inui-senpai," she looked at Inui in the eye. "Who else knows about the incidents?"

"Everyone except for Eiji, who was completely oblivious, and Fuji, who wasn't with us that day."

Akari sighed. "Senpai, could you do me a favor? Make them forget."

Inui didn't answer he just went out into and headed to the backyard.

Akari just walked to Ryoma and Sakuno, passing Tezuka who was leaning against the wall. They made eye contact before he left the room, too.

"Are you alright?" Ryoma asked.

"H-hai, Ryoma-kun." Sakuno answered, softly, leaving the glass of juice on the coffee table.

"What happened?" Ryoma asked.

Sakuno's eyes just opened wide in shock but went back to normal after a few seconds. She stayed silent as tears started to flow out her eyes.

"Ryoma-kun, leave us alone first." Akari said, looking at Ryoma. They stared at each others' eyes before Ryoma left, closing the door behind him.

"Sakuno-chan!" Akari whispered as she hugged her. "Gomen, gomen, gomen," she kept on repeating.

"Someone knocked on the door, I opened it. Then, a man entered with a knife in his hand." Sakuno started to share what had happened to her last night. "He kept on walking towards me, so I kept on backing away until I was against the floor."

Akari let go to look at Sakuno's face, only to see her crying harder than before.

"Then, he placed a box on the floor. He stabbed it," she said, looking at Akari in horror. "He stabbed it! I couldn't do anything. I fell to the ground."

"Which box? Sakuno-chan?" Akari asked, looking for it.

Sakuno lifted the blanket so that Akari could see under the sofa she was on. Akari quickly took it and opened it. Inside was a heart- a real heart- with a stab on it. The blood covered most part of the box but the words that were written could be clearly read.

"Don't worry, Sakuno-chan…" Akari looked at her. "This message is not for you. It's for me. It's just another prank from an old schoolmate of mine. I recognize his work. Don't worry about it." She said as she stood up, grabbing the box, and heading for the door.

"Senpai, is that why you transferred?"

"Maybe it's one of the many reasons that I left that school. But, don't worry. It's just a prank." Akari said as she left.

"What happened? What did she tell you?" Tomoka asked from the corner.

"Nothing much. I'm sorry for this." Akari apologized, looking at Tomoka, who was being held in place by Fuji.

Akari looked around and saw Momoshiro, Kaidoh, Ryoma, Inui and Tezuka. They were scattered around the front lawn. Momoshiro was leaning against a wall, looking down. Kaidoh was sitting on the ground. Ryoma was near the door. Inui was farthest, reading something from his green notebook. Tezuka was by the gate.

Akari looked at Ryoma with another meaningful glance. He wordlessly entered the room. Just as he shut the door close behind him, tears formed in Akari's eyes and she rushed herself to get out of there, box still in hand. She ran away from them all without a single word. When she was a few blocks away, she reached for her phone.

"_Hello! You have great timing, as usual. I was just about to call you to let you know that you move in now. The owners were rushing the papers since they were leaving for America tomorrow."_ The guy on the other end of the line said, cheerfully.

"About that, what if I suddenly decide that I don't need the house-"

"_Nope, I've already gone through a lot of trouble to buy you that house."_

"Right, sorry."

"_Why? Where are you planning on going?"_

"I was thinking of going back to America."

"_Eh? So you're thinking of managing the company's branch there?"_

"No, I just felt like I missed it."

"_Well that was a waste of money."_

"Sorry. But don't sell it back just yet."

"_Okay,"_ he said as he ended the call.

Akari kept her phone and continued to walk back to the Echizen residence. She walked in the Japanese house and was surprised to see someone working at the kitchen.

"Nanako-san? I thought you were going to stay at your friend's house until tomorrow?" Akari asked as she went into the kitchen.

"I missed you guys already."

Akari laughed but it was shallow and empty.

"Akari-chan, what's wrong?"

"I saw this lovely house and fell in love with it and-" she stopped when she noticed Nanako stared at her with that look. "Fine, I want to feel more independent so I asked him to buy me a house. I'm moving in today."

"I guess that part of you will never change." Nanako smiled as she continued to cook.

"Oh," Akari stopped when she was halfway up the stairs. "I might go back to America soon. Don't tell him."

"Okay."

**-o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: Okay, so how was it? It's messy and I must admit, this isn't really how the story was originally supposed to turn out. But, I think it would still work out. So, please tell me what you think by leaving a review. Comments, suggestions and flames are welcome. Both anonymous and signed reviews are accepted. So, what are you waiting for? Click on that link below and tell me what you think. =^_^=**

**Please be kind; Leave me a review to find.**


	15. Lunch

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o--**

**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.--._._._._**

**Chapter Fifteen:**

**Lunch**

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Hello, minna-san!!! It took me awhile, but here it is. Hope you like it! Please read and leave a review.**

**Disclaimer(It's been awhile since I placed this.): I don't own PoT or any of its original characters. I only wish I did. Hehe.**

_Just as I thought, it's still too near._ She thought as she stared at the address written on the piece of paper on her hand, the same address that she had given to the driver of the taxi that was currently driving her to her new home. Feeling that there was nothing more that she could do about it, she just looked out of the window and stared at the houses, reading the names of the owners of the residences. Her eyes lazily went by each name until they came across a certain name that almost made her ask the driver to go back. And she would have done it if the taxi did not stop just a few meters away from the house.

She stared at the driver in confusion, watching as he came out of the taxi and unloaded her entire luggage. She slowly went out before looking at the house in front. That was when it hit her. It was just as what was described to her- a two-storey house, white with accents of red. She carried her luggage with her, noting some of the other descriptions that were given to her. There were some flowering plants in the front, grass dominated the front with the exception of a small and short pathway to the house. She proceeded under the concrete shade of the house, extending to shelter a glass table complete with three sets of modern chairs around it. She set one of her bags on the cemented railings and leaned on one of the beams for support.

_Of all the people that I could have had as my neighbor, why him?_ She asked herself as she opened the front door with a key that she found under the welcome mat. She entered the house to find that it was all set on a platform above the floor that she was standing on. She removed her shoes and took a pair of slippers from a few in a shoe closet just beside the door. She took the step up the platform and looked around her to see the living room. The room was white with black furniture and curtains. There was an aquarium nearby which had some interesting fishes in it. She noticed a flat screen TV perched on a black table. Then there were two sofas and a crystal clear, glass table before it. She moved to the next room- the kitchen- which had the dining table and chairs next to it. The kitchen was fully stocked with food and utensils.

Remembering to place her things in her room before anything else, she took her luggage and run up the two flights of stairs (it stops in the middle and turns to the other direction), which to her surprise, had no railings at all. In its place were small wooden sculptures, barely four inches tall. She found herself in a hallway with four doors leading to four rooms, two of which are bedrooms, a library and a large bathroom. She entered the bedroom farthest from the stairs. She was shocked at the sudden change of color theme. Unlike the rest of the house, the room was a relaxing shade of blue. After dumping her luggage on the floor, she jumped onto the bed, back against the soft cushion covered in black satin sheets. She opened her eyes and found herself looking at the sky. The ceiling had been painted with the blue of the sky with its white clouds. Then the light was circular to make it even more like the actual sky. A smile became evident in her features as she dialed a number on her phone.

"_Okay, I lied. This house was bought after that… just in case. You're not going to scream at me, are you?"_ the male voice spoke immediately after pressing the answer button.

"Nope, I won't. Don't worry." Akari said, chuckling.

"_Well, that's something I don't here very often, especially from you."_

"You have the greatest taste when it comes to houses."

"_Thank you. How do you like the ceiling, by the way?"_

"It's wonderful. Thanks." She smiled, then a thought came to her and she turned serious. "Can you arrange for me to go back to America soon? I don't mind if I have to manage the company branch there."

"_As your employee, I would have said yes and got to the job immediately. But, since I'm your friend, too, I will stand firm with a no. You can't keep on running from problems, Akari-chan."_

"Problem? Who said anything about that?" Akari asked, sitting up.

"_You don't call me unless you're having problems."_

"Right. Gomen, Rei-kun." They remained silent before Akari spoke again. "I still need to leave. Circumstances-"

"_Circumstances leave me with no choice. I know, I know. You keep on saying that. I'll try."_

"Thanks, bye." She murmured as she flipped her phone close and stood up to look at the details of her room.

There was a closet to opposite the bed, a full length mirror next to it. A study table was on the right of the bed. There was a glass door leading to the balcony at the wall to her left. She went out and found more flowering plants. She noticed another door, just beside the one she came through and looked through, realizing that it was for the other bedroom. She looked at the sky before running back in and grabbing a camera. She started to take photographs of the sky, with the puffy clouds forming images. She stayed there until after sunset before deciding to go down to cook herself some food for dinner.

After eating, she went to the living room and fed the fishes with the fish food she found beside the aquarium. She took a shower, changed and retired early to sleep.

---

Ryoma just stared at his cousin, not believing what he heard. He noticed her stare at his face. He realized that he must have been wearing quite the expression. Not wanting to show anymore odd reactions, he just tugged his cap and went up the stairs without a word. He just stared at his ceiling replaying what had happened that day.

He spent most of the morning and a part of the afternoon at Sakuno's, trying to get her to calm down- not that he needed to after Akari talked to her- and to tell what had happened. After his fruitless efforts to get some truth out of her, he spent the rest of the afternoon with a wall, a racket and a tennis ball. He needed to get his focus off of the problems at hand. Then, he comes home to find out that _she_ left in his absence! He was beyond frustrated.

Head throbbing from thinking of the why's, where's, who's and how's, he decided to just sleep. And that was exactly what he did.

---

_Pok! Pok! Pok!_

The consistent sound of the ball hitting a wall and a racket alternately continued for a few more minutes before it went to an abrupt stop when the wielder of the racket turned around upon sensing the presence of another life form.

"Tezuka… san." She muttered as she came face to face with the said person.

Tezuka said nothing as he proceeded from the half court Akari was practicing at to the full court next to it. They were at the back of Akari's house.

_Right. I forgot that he was my neighbor now._ Akari thought to herself as she followed him. She took the opposite side and served.

"Why are you here?" Tezuka asked as he returned the ball.

Akari returned without answering. They had a rally before Tezuka eventually won.

"I just felt like it." She answered before serving again.

After another rally, Tezuka scored another point.

"I don't think you need to hear about what happened, Tezuka-san." She answered an unspoken question regarding what happened to Sakuno.

They continued playing in silence. Only the sounds of their ragged breathing, of their feet colliding with the cement as they run to return the other's shots, of the ball bouncing off the cement and hitting a racket were heard. They continued this until they came up with the result, 6 games to 2. Tired and sweaty, Akari placed her racket back to her tennis bag.

"Would you like to come in, Tezuka-san?" Akari offered as she headed for the back door.

Tezuka simply nodded before following her in. They ended up in the kitchen. Akari took two slippers from another shoe rack near the door. She gave one to Tezuka before wearing one herself. She went to the fridge and poured two glasses of juice, offering one to Tezuka who have been seated at the dining table. Akari looked at the clock, shocked that it was already two in the afternoon. She moved to the kitchen and looked through the ingredients that were there, thinking of something to cook.

"Tezuka-san, what would you like to eat?" Akari asked in a cheerful voice, smiling.

"That's not really necessary." Tezuka said as he started to stand up.

"You already entered, might as well eat something." She spoke in the same voice.

Tezuka simply sat back down. "You don't have to pretend. I can see through it."

Akari fell silent for a few minutes as she brought out some ingredients before she mumbled, "Right. Of course, you would have seen through it from the very first day." She preheated the oven before she started to chop some vegetables.

Then, she heard the chair complain against the floor as Tezuka stood up. She quickly turned around saying, "Tezuka-san, I already started cooking for two. It would be a waste if-" She stopped when she noticed that he wasn't leaving. Instead, he was heading towards her.

"Let me help."

"Uhm…" Akari blinked, surprised that a male would ever offer to help _cook_. Thinking that it was Tezuka after all, she just shrugged it off.

"They have the right to know." Tezuka started as he helped chop the vegetables.

"This isn't something that you should be getting yourselves involved, senpai." Akari said, finally addressing him as a senpai.

"Why not?"

"Because the situation can get so much worse. That person can do things far worse than what he had done to Sakuno-chan."

Tezuka didn't speak. He just looked at Akari.

Noticing his gaze, she sighed. "I don't know who it is exactly. But I have a good guess."

"Why you?"

Akari started to mix the vegetables and other ingredients in two bowls. After coating the vegetables with rosemary, vinegar and others, she spread them on a large roasting pan. She placed it in the oven before she finally answered his question. "I did… something."

She took out a pot and filled it with water to boil. She leaned against the counter, Tezuka watching her.

"You're the captain, can't you-"

"I don't control them. I can't make them forget."

Akari just sighed, as if she expected that. "I didn't think Inui-senpai would inform everyone about it." She started to cook something else.

"I'll handle this myself." Akari said after minutes of silence. She placed the roasted vegetables in a serving plate, placing it on the dining table. She went back for the miso-glazed scallops with soba noodles, making two servings. They both sat down.

"You say that with conviction but your eyes are filled with fear and doubt." Tezuka said before eating.

Akari watched him, thinking of what he said before she got herself to eat.

"Still, I'll handle this myself. I've been handling my problems on my own for a greater part of my life. I don't want to be dependent on others." Akari whispered, but still making sure that he can hear her.

Tezuka just nodded. After eating they left through the back door. Akari guided him out.

"Even the mightiest eagle stops and leans on a tree from time to time." Tezuka said as he turned to say goodbye to her. "Don't let your guard down."

"Hai. Arigatou, Tezuka-san."

She watched as he went into the house next door before entering her own. She fed the fish before going up to her room to check her phone only to find 23 unread messages, mostly from Ryoma. She went through each of them and suddenly felt guilty for leaving without telling him first. She replied, telling him about her plans of going back to America.

She noticed some school work that was yet to be done and did it, seeing that she had little to do with her time. After taking a shower and changing, she went to sleep, hair still damp.

**-o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: How was it? Sorry, it was short and I did a pathetic job at being "descriptive". I wasn't even planning on posting this chap yet. But, since our exams are this week and it would take me awhile to post a chapter if I don't post now, I decided to just subtract from my sleeping time. Hehe. Anyway, please leave a review. Comments, suggestions, flames are welcome. Both anonymous and signed reviews are welcome. Thanks!**

**Please be kind; Leave me a review to find.**


	16. Rain

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o--**

**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.--._._._._**

**Chapter Sixteen:**

**Rain**

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Konnichiwa, minna-san! I know, I know. It took me a LONG time to update but at least I did, right? Hehe. I couldn't really get myself to type the next chapter after our exams. Anyway, please do read and review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PoT… well, except when I'm dreaming. =P**

Akari sat up from bed, looking at the clock sitting on the table beside her bed. It was eight in the morning. She got up and cooked herself something to eat after feeding the fishes. After breakfast, she went back up and logged on to her laptop. She started typing a letter to the principal, informing her of her plan to drop out of school. After typing and retyping for hours, she was finally able to print out a letter. She looked out and saw the clouds moving about. She grabbed her camera and went up to the rooftop.

---

"Ryoma-san, where are you going?" Nanako asked, walking out of the kitchen. In her hands were plants filled with Japanese delicacies. "Won't you have breakfast first?"

"I'll go find her." He replied after being momentarily distracted by the said food. He headed for the front door before turning back and grabbing two rice balls, immediately biting one while putting his shoes on.

Nanako stood there, watching him, evidently amused. Then a serious look came to her features as a thought sprouted in her brain. "What if you don't find her, Ryoma-san?"

Ryoma looked at his cousin but remained silent.

"It's hard to find someone who doesn't want to be found."

"Hard but not impossible," Ryoma said, turning to the door. He opened it and was about to step out.

"What if you do find her. What will you do?"

There was no response from him.

"What _can_ you do?" Nanako said, remembering what Akari said before leaving.

Ryoma resisted the urge to turn back and ask what she meant by that and remained rooted to the ground.

"She's planning on going back to America to manage their company's branch. You know her enough. Actually, you know her better than I do. She won't change her mind easily."

Ryoma didn't bother to speak. He just ran out, forcing the second rice ball down his throat. Then, he stopped in his tracks remembering the places that he found which could be where she moved. He was walking around when he remembered something. He pulled out his phone and was about to call someone when someone called him. He answered the call, not bothering to greet the caller.

"…"

"O'chibi? Are you there?" Eiji's excited voice asked.

"Senpai?"

"O'chibi!! We're here at the Kawamura Sushi Shop. Meet us here with Kari-chan!"

"She moved."

"Eh?" Eiji asked, unable to comprehend what Ryoma said.

"I'm looking for her," was all Ryoma said before he tried to end the call.

"WHAT?! YOU MEAN KARI-CHAN'S MISSING?!" Eiji shouted, making Ryoma pull the phone away from his ear.

After giving them his current location he ended the call and waited for them to come. He pulled out his phone again and dialed a number he had used only once.

"_Hello?"_ a man asked in English.

"Where is she?" Ryoma asked, not bothering to speak in Japanese.

"_Oh, Echizen-san! How have you been? It has been so long."_ He spoke in Japanese now.

"Where is she, Rei-san?" Ryoma asked again, ignoring the questions directed at him.

"_I don't think I should tell you."_

"Why not?"

"She moved out of your house, right? Don't you think that maybe she's hiding from you?"

"Just tell me where she went." Ryoma said, straining to keep his cool.

"I can't. I can't go against my superior's orders."

Ryoma cursed under his breath before ending the call saying, "I'll find her either way." A confident grin made its way to his features as he flipped his phone close and sat down on a nearby bench. He stared at the sky, watching the white clouds move around. He focused on that spot, failing to notice dark, gray clouds hovering on the horizon.

Ryoma remained motionless as his cousin's words came back to him.

_doesn't want to be found… going back to America… manage the company's branch… You know her better than I do…_

He watched as a bird flew across the blue sky.

"Do I really know her?" he murmured before closing his eyes, head still tilted up.

He allowed his mind to travel back in time- to the time when they were still living in America. Memories flashed through his mind. Then, it all came to a stop when his mind came across his memory of a girl with black hair and green eyes that were blurred because of the tears. It was Akari.

"You cried because I was leaving. Why are you the one leaving me behind, this time?" He asked as he kept his mind frozen on that particular memory- the time when he had to say goodbye to her because his family had to go back to Japan and she had to stay there.

Ryoma's forehead creased, his bitter smile went to a line. He was confused as Akari's hair started to grow longer. From the short, shoulder-length hair, it became long turning brownish red, braided into two. Her glowing green eyes dimmed into the same shade of red as the hair. Her features began to change. Even her clothes changed into the blue Seishun High School uniform.

His eyes opened when he realized that Akari had changed to Sakuno. _'Ryuzaki…'_ he thought as he stared at the park before him.

He was about to ponder on how his mind went to Sakuno when it was supposedly thinking of Akari, but a person pushed him off the bench and onto the ground, pinning him there.

"O'chibi! What happened?! Where's Kari-chan?" Eiji asked.

"Eiji, maybe you should get off of him first." Oishi said, pulling Eiji away from Ryoma.

"Oi, what happened?" Momoshiro asked.

"She moved." Ryoma answered, standing up.

"Moved?" Fuji asked, appearing from behind Kaidoh.

"Yesterday," was all Ryoma told them before starting to walk away.

"If that's the case, then there's nothing to worry about. She just moved, right? She wasn't kidnapped or something." Fuji said, his smiling mask on.

"Fsssh…" Kaidoh hissed as everyone fell silent.

"She's running away from something- something that's threatening her _and_ us." Ryoma turned to look at his senpai's eyes.

"Inui, don't you know anything about this?" Oishi asked, hoping that the data man would have data regarding this.

"I had the feeling that she would do something like this so I pulled records of houses or apartments being bought or rented recently." Inui paused.

"And?" Momoshiro asked, unwilling to wait.

"All my attempts were blocked by a company." Inui finished.

"Eh?" Eiji said, staring at Inui.

"That was probably done under her orders." Ryoma said before walking away.

"Echizen, where are you going?" Momoshiro asked, stopping Ryoma by pulling him by the shoulders.

"We should probably talk to Tezuka first." Oishi said as they all headed for their captain's house.

---

A thunder roared and Eiji immediately made his way up to Kaidoh's shoulders like a scared cat. Fuji laughed at this and immediately took a picture of them before Kaidoh could even glare at his senpai until he got to his feet.

"The weather's not good." Oishi said as he looked up to the dark, gray clouds that have began to cover the sky.

"It's going to rain." Momoshiro said, just as the first drops of the rain showered on them.

"Nya, let's run." Eiji said as he started running to the direction of Tezuka's house with the rest of them following him.

They entered through the gate and stood at the front door, under a small shade. They were squeezed together so that none of them got any wetter than they already were. They rang the doorbell but got no response.

"Saa… maybe no one's home." He said as he watched the raindrops continuously drop to the ground.

"I guess we should head back home. We can't do much when it's raining." Oishi said.

The others began to discuss if they were really going to go home already or start the search despite the rain. Ryoma took out his phone. He noticed that he had a message. Alarmed, he turned to Oishi.

"What's the address of this house?" he asked, still staring at his phone.

Oishi answered him and they watched as Ryoma continued to stare at his phone before sprinting to the next house.

"Oi, Echizen! Where are you going?" Momoshiro asked him as he followed him. Everyone else tailed behind.

All of them were now waiting out at the front door as Ryoma opened the door without bothering to ring the doorbell or know, at the very least.

"Echizen!" the others called for him, surprised at his actions.

"O'chibi!"

"Fsssh…"

"… interesting data …"

"Oi, Echizen, get out of there before the owner accuses you of breaking in." Momoshiro said as he grabbed Ryoma's hand, to stop him from getting in further, but was surprised when he didn't move. Instead, he remained in the dirt floor.

"Ryoma-kun, Momo-san, minna-san…" Akari whispered, looking at all of them. She was holding a tray with two cups of coffee and two slices of cake.

"Kari-chan, you're here!" Eiji said as he hugged Akari, who had set the tray on the coffee table and approached them.

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked, still surprised. She looked at the guest sitting on the couch then back at them.

"Eh?! Buchuo?!" Momoshiro exclaimed when he recognized Akari's guest.

Everyone rushed inside, each removing their shoes and grabbing a pair of slippers. Ryoma was left there with Akari. He took off his shoes and put on a pair of slippers. He passed by Akari, who seemed to have been rooted to that place, and whispered, "Rei-san isn't so good in keeping his mouth shut."

Akari's eyes opened in realization. "Of course…" she whispered back. _'Of course he would remember to call him… and of course Rei-kun would tell him… I forgot to consider that.'_ She thought to herself as she finally got herself back together and went to the kitchen to fetch more for her uninvited visitors.

**-o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: Okay, I think that's it for this chappie. My head hurts. It hasn't fully recovered from being overused. So, how was it? I hope I didn't do it so badly. Please leave me a review either way. Comments, suggestions and flames are welcome. Both anonymous and signed reviews are accepted.**

**Please be kind; Leave me a review to find**


	17. Resolve

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o--**

**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.--._._._._**

**Chapter Seventeen:**

**Resolve**

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Hello, minna-san! So, finally, here's another update. Hmm… I can't seem to come up with better titles. Why did I make myself make one-worded titles for this fic again? Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Just a warning though. I seem to be losing my grasp on the character's … character. Whatever you may think of this chapter, please leave a review.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PoT. But, I do wish I did.**

From the rooftop of a white house, the constant snapping of a camera could be heard. A girl could be seen, lying on the cemented ground, holding a camera and snapping pictures of the clouds as they moved in, covering the sun. She put down the camera, finally feeling the pain in her arms. She sat up and looked around her. There were plants on the side beside the door that connected the second floor to the roof top. They were arranged in such that one would be drawn to it. Half of the rooftop, found opposite the plants- on the left side of her current position- was sheltered by glass walls and a protective roof.

Deciding to rest, she stood up and took her camera with her and the pillow she had taken from the said room. She walked under the shelter of an arched roof above her head and entered through the open doors of the room. She placed the pillow she had used to cushion her head on one of the three couches, stepping on the soft white rag and passing by the round, glass, coffee table. She sat on the middle couch and watched as a bird flew to one of the flowers that she saw awhile ago. She saw two trees at the corner that supported a hanging net bed. (Unfortunately, I can't remember the correct term for this one. Please leave a review if you know what it is… it's the one usually used in beaches.)

She stood up, deciding to lay there. She stepped forward and nearly stepped on the remote of a TV set perched on a corner. She picked it up and set it on the coffee table. Just as she was about to head for the said net, she heard the doorbell ring throughout the house. She hurried down the stairs from the rooftop to the second floor and from there to the first floor. She rushed to the door and opened it to see him.

"Tezuka-san?" she said as she opened the door wider, inviting him in.

After removing his shoes and putting on slippers, he was on the couch with Akari watching him.

"What brought you here, senpai?" She asked, wanting to add the word 'again' but found it to be impolite.

"The school principal called and told me about your plan to leave the tennis club, not only that but the school itself. She seems to be worried of your sudden decision about leaving the country right after entering Seishun High School." Tezuka said, in what seems to be the longest he has ever spoken.

"…" Akari just stared at him as Tezuka stared at her. "A-anou… I'm going to get some refreshments." She said as she escaped to the kitchen.

She took out some cups and started the coffee machine. She went to the refrigerator and was again thankful that Rei had thought of fully stocking the house with food. She brought out a cake and sliced it, placing it on a tray. She brought out two platters(?) and forks. She went back to the coffee, pouring some into the cups before placing them on the tray. She took a deep breath before taking the tray to talk about something she had wanted to avoid.

She went into the living room and found Tezuka patiently waiting for her return. Then a thought occurred to her. "I prepared black coffee. I forgot to ask what you wanted. If you don't like it, I could just make juice… or something." Akari said, both in effort to accommodate her guest and to escape.

"Iie, I like black coffee." Tezuka said silently before the door burst open. The noise from outside finally reached the two of them.

"Ryoma-kun, Momo-san, minna-san…" Akari whispered, still holding the tray.

"Kari-chan, you're here!" Eiji said, just as Akari set the tray on the coffee table. Her head tilted to the left wondering when her senpai had started to call her that.

"What are you guys doing here?" Her eyes shifted back and forth from her guest to them.

"Eh?! Buchuo?!" Momoshiro exclaimed upon recognizing her guest.

Everyone rushed inside, each removing their shoes and grabbing a pair of slippers. Ryoma was left there with Akari. He took off his shoes and put on a pair of slippers. He passed by Akari, who seemed to have been rooted to that place, and whispered, "Rei-san isn't so good in keeping his mouth shut."

Akari's eyes opened in realization. "Of course…" she whispered back. _'Of course he would remember to call him… and of course Rei-kun would tell him… I forgot to consider that.'_ She thought to herself as she finally got herself back together and went to the kitchen to fetch more refreshments for her uninvited visitors.

She took out some more coffee cups when she realized that not everybody liked black coffee. She was about to go back to ask them what they wanted but stopped when she saw who was standing by the doorway.

"Fuji-senpai…" She murmured as she tried her best to hide the surprise and fear from her features.

"I thought that you might need some help." Fuji said, moving towards her with his usual creepy smile.

"Arigatou, senpai. But, I think I can manage this on my own." She said, offering him a faint smile.

"I'm already here. Besides, I can help with your problem on their preferences." Fuji said, moving to her side.

Akari kept silent for awhile. She didn't know how to respond. Then, she smiled and spoke, "I guess that's logical. Arigatou, senpai!"

"I think it would be better to serve something sweeter for them." Fuji said as he leaned on the wall behind Akari.

"Of course!" She said as she prepared a caramel drink for them. Then, she brought out a can of Grape Ponta from the fridge. After doing so, she prepared a cup of mocha.

Fuji watched her preparing the cup of mocha, confusion in his face. He managed to put on his usual mask before Akari turned, carrying another tray with the drinks and platters in it.

"Yuuta-kun said you preferred mocha." She smiled at him, trying to be as cheerful as she can be, before she headed for the living room.

Fuji stood there for a few minutes. Shock covering his face, followed by disgust and anger. "She can easily talk about Yuuta after what she did to him." He muttered before following her back to the living room where he found everybody to be making such a commotion.

"Eiji, stop swirling the water with your hand. You'll kill the fishes." Oishi said, trying to stop Eiji from dipping his hand in the aquarium.

"Nya, this is so fun!" Eiji said, as he watched the fishes swim away from his hand.

"Kaidoh, stop jogging. You're inside a house." Inui said as he adjusted his glasses.

Kaidoh hesitantly stopped. He was losing so much time for training by being there.

Momoshiro laughed at this, triggering another endless bickering from the two of them.

Fuji saw Ryoma and Tezuka seating on a couch and Akari on another. He went to join them, sitting on the third couch. He took his cup of mocha, ignoring the slices of cake that had been distributed on the platters.

"It's quite lively in here, isn't it?" Fuji remarked as he took a sip, silently and reluctantly praising it for the _near_ perfect taste.

"Well, I guess that's to be expected from them." Akari said, in a light and cheerful tone.

There was silence. They simply watched as the others made fools of themselves. The cake disappearing slowly as each one noticed it.

"Why don't we talk about what all of us have come here to talk about." Inui said as he took a seat beside Fuji.

Akari just looked at them- Tezuka, Ryoma, Fuji and Inui. She waited for them to start talking.

"This morning Eiji called Echizen only to be informed that you have supposedly gone missing." Inui started.

"Missing?" Akari asked, confused. "Ryoma-kun knows that I moved…"

"I guess Eiji misunderstood Echizen. Besides that point, why would you leave the Echizen residence only to move somewhere… close?" Fuji asked, covering the other intention of his question with curiosity.

Ryoma stopped drinking his Ponta to show that he was paying attention. Inui also showed this by having his pen and notebook in his hands, ready to write.

Akari's eyes widened, suspecting what Fuji's question had really meant. "Unfortunately, I forgot to tell my friend to relocate me somewhere farther. I was actually surprised to find out that Tezuka-san was my neighbor."

Then, the five of them went silent again.

"Are you really leaving the tennis club and the school?" Tezuka asked, breaking the silence.

Ryoma's eyes narrowed while Fuji couldn't stop himself from letting a certain smile appear on his face.

"No," Akari said, making Ryoma's eyes go back to usual and so with Fuji's smile. "I'm not just leaving the tennis club or the school… I'm leaving the country." She said, looking around to see that everyone had their eyes on her.

"Satomi-san, don't you think that you're making rush decisions?" Oishi spoke.

"Nya, if it's about the man that's been bothering everyone, we'll-"

"Eiji-kun, it's not just about that. My family's been pestering me to manage a branch of the company in America-"

"Is that really the reason?! Or are you just being a coward and running away?!" Momoshiro asked, annoyed at her decisions.

"Fssshh…" Kaidoh hissed as if to back up Momoshiro.

Akari sighed. She knew that this would never end and that they would eventually find a way to make her forget about leaving for America. She took a deep breath and discarded her smile, setting her lips into a line. "Then I guess I am a coward. So what?! This has nothing to do with you! My decisions do not concern any of you! It's none of your business!" She started shouting.

"What-" Momoshiro was about to say something when Akari stood up.

"If that's all then please leave." She said, walking to the door.

"What?!" Momoshiro raised his fists when Akari opened the door.

She looked at him with stone eyes and spoke, "You heard what I said. Please leave."

Ryoma set his can of Ponta on the coffee table and stood up. He walked to the door and gave Akari a look before he went out.

"Oi, Echizen! Are you really just going to let her-" Momoshiro stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"That's enough, Momoshiro." Inui said as he guided Momo's view to the door where he saw Tezuka walking out.

Eiji followed outside, Oishi comforting him. Kaidoh went out after Fuji did. Inui followed with a grudging Momoshiro next to him. They heard the door close behind them with a loud thud.

"I guess it's a good thing the rain stopped." Fuji said, walking out the gate.

"Is that really it? We're not going to do anything about this?" Momoshiro asked the others, looking around him. They were all silent.

"Echizen said it himself. She's running from someone that's threatening her and us. We-"

"Momoshiro, that's enough!" Tezuka's voice spoke with authority as he left them for his home.

"Buchuo?" Momoshiro said as he looked around him to see them with nothing to say. They simply had sorry faces but nothing more.

"I'm going to go over the incidents that occurred. There might have been something that I missed." Inui informed them. "I'm going to try to find him before she leaves. That's all I can do." He continued as he walked away.

"Fsssh…" Kaidoh hissed to say goodbye to them as he followed Inui.

"I guess that's it then." Eiji said, down on the floor.

"Don't worry, everyone. Satomi-chan probably just needs some time to think. She's probably being pressured by the events that have taken place." Oishi said, trying to explain Akari's behavior. "Eiji, let's go."

"Okay," Eiji said as he allowed Oishi to drag him away.

"Echizen?!" Momoshiro shouted the name of the only person left with him.

"I'm leaving." Ryoma said as he started to walk away.

"What?!"

"How long have you known her?"

"Less than a week. What does this have anything to do with-"

"I've known her for more than four years. She's stubborn and spoiled. She gets what she wants just by asking for it. She needs to learn that people won't always be there to offer their help. She'll need to learn to _ask_ for help. This might just be what she needs." Ryoma looked at his senpai then realized that he needed to explain more. "We can't keep on spoon feeding her. She's old enough. If this is how she wants to handle her problems then let her. We'll probably just need to wait for her to realize that she can't run away from everything."

"That's not-" Momoshiro stopped when he saw Ryoma leave through the gate. He cursed before finally leaving.

Inside, Akari heard everything. She was leaning against the door and was eavesdropping. When she was sure that everyone has left, she let herself slide down to the ground. _'Is that really so, Ryoma-kun?'_ With that thought, she had strengthened her resolve to fix this problem on her own- even if that meant leaving for good. She had made the decision to leave after what happened to Sakuno and proving Ryoma wrong just made her resolve stronger.

She stood up and made a call.

**-o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: Okay, how was it? That seemed like the longest time Ryoma and Tezuka dared to talk. Please leave a review with your comments and suggestions. Constructive criticisms are welcome. Anonymous and signed reviews are accepted. So, anyone can leave a review. Thank you.**

**Please be kind; Leave me a review to find.**


	18. Avoidance

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o--**

**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.--._._._._**

**Chapter Eighteen:**

**Avoidance  
**

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Okay, so sorry for the long wait. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PoT or its original characters.**

"Principal, you called for me?" Akari said, as she closed the door behind her.

"Satomi-san, please take a seat." The principal said, offering one of the two seats before her table.

Akari did as she was told. She took the one on her right and waited for the principal to speak.

"It's actually regarding your phone call last Sunday." She said as she leaned against the back rest, holding a pen between two pointing fingers.

"About that, I'm sorry I called you during a non-working day but I needed the documents to be done as soon as possible." Akari said, putting his all-business face on.

"Are you sure about this, Satomi-san? You have only been here for barely a week."

"Don't worry, Saiko-sensei." Akari said, reading the principal's name inscribed on a golden plaque found on top of the table. "It has nothing to do about the school. It's perfectly fine. I simply have some business to attend to abroad."

"Well, that's not really it, Satomi-san. You've been here for just a week. What documents can I provide you with?" She leaned forward, letting her elbows rest on her table as her hands continued to play with the pen. "I recommend you stay… at least until you finish this trimester."

Akari opened her mouth to speak but was stopped when someone knocked on the door before it opened revealing the woman she has passed by on the way to the principal's office.

"Excuse me, principal, but someone is here to talk to you." The woman, presumably the secretary, said as the principal stood up to talk to someone.

"Excuse me, Satomi-san. This won't take long," the principal said before she closed the door behind herself.

Akari nodded despite knowing that there was no one there to see it. Her eyes looked around, taking in the contents of the room: two file cabinets standing side by side against the white walls covered with many framed certificates of awards the school has received, the trophies standing on top of the file cabinets, the blue curtains neatly arranged to expose the school grounds through the rectangular window, the green fortune plant by the corner, the huge grandfather clock ticking each second away, the laptop that had gone to stand-by phase because of no one touching it for some time, the framed pictures of what appears to be the family of the principal standing on the table crowded with many paper works that needed the principal's approval, and the cup of creamy coffee steaming away.

_Buzz… buzz…_ Akari's phone buzzed as it received a text message, pulling her eyes from the room to her phone's screen.

_Sorry, but you won't be leaving the country soon. Your parents stopped me from getting the papers done even before I have filed it. Good luck! Btw, I'm going to be busy for awhile. They dropped some serious jobs on my shoulders to make sure I won't try anymore._

Akari sighed, quickly placing her phone back in her pocket. She looked outside, watching as the clouds floated away. She was remembering the scent of the sea carried by the wind, the sound of the waves crushing against the rocks before being pulled back by the sea once again, the feel of the sun burning against her fair skin, the tickling feeling the grainy sand sent as it went against her bare feet and the feeling of lightness that came with the person beside her.

She was pulled out of her trance as she heard the sound of the door closing behind her. She turned to find her principal and waited as she click clacked her way to her swivel chair, her heels sounding against the cement.

"Sorry about that. Now, then, where were we?" the principal asked as she pulled herself towards her desk.

"You were in the process of convincing me to stay in your school." Akari answered, smiling.

The principal chuckled before, "Right." Then, she looked at Akari, willing her to say something.

"My parents apparently have something else planned for me. I don't think I'll be able to leave the country just yet."

"Oh," the principal exclaimed, clearly surprised.

"May I head for my class now?" Akari said, preparing to stand up.

"Of course," the principal said as she raised her hands, gesturing towards the door.

Akari bowed before leaving the room.

---

"Satomi-senpai?" a soft, timid voice spoke.

No response.

"Satomi-senpai??"

Still no response.

"Satomi-senpai!"

Not even a blink was gained from her.

"Mou!" Tomoka complained beside her best friend. "Senpai!!!"

"What the-" Akari muttered when she was finally brought back to earth. "Sakuno-chan? Tomoka-chan?"

"Finally," Tomoka said exasperated.

"Tomo-chan," Sakuno warned her friend before facing her senpai. "Senpai, would you like to join us for lunch? I made enough for four people."

"Sure," Akari said before standing up from her desk.

Sakuno and Tomoka chatted on their way. They started to ascend the stairs before the word "four" got into Akari's head.

"Where are we-" Before she could even finish her question, she already knew the answer. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the door leading to the rooftop in front of them.

"What's the matter?" Tomoka asked, looking at her.

"Nothing," Akari said, thinking of an excuse. "I just remembered that I had to pass something to the faculty and I haven't even started with it yet. See you guys later."

"Oh," was all she heard from Sakuno before she had gone too far to hear anything else.

'_Of course he would be there. What was I thinking? If what I'm thinking is right then all I have to do is… that.'_ Akari thought as she raced through the empty hallways and out into the open area of the school. She found a grassy area under a tree and laid down, staring at the clouds.

---

"Oh," Ryoma heard the disappointment in Sakuno's voice behind the door that was only slightly open. But, it was enough for him to see the silhouette of a girl running down the stairs and away from them. Hearing the door open further, he laid back down and pretended to be asleep.

"RYOMA-SAMA!!!" Tomoka shouted.

"Ryoma-kun," Sakuno said quietly as she sat beside the prince, setting the bentos on the ground.

Ryoma pretended to wake up, blink a few times before glaring with irritation at Tomoka then take a bento.

It only took a minute before the two girls took their bento and started to eat, too. Tomoka started to chat with Sakuno while Ryoma continued to eat silently, thinking.

'_She's avoiding me… Not really surprising. But, what is she still doing here? She should've been on a plane headed for America hours ago. What happened?'_ Ryoma kept on thinking but couldn't come up with anything.

---

Momoshiro was walking around school. His eyes traveled around but his mind was far away, thinking of the incident that happened yesterday, completely forgetting why he was walking around school- to find unsuspecting victims to steal additional lunch from. He cursed and punched a nearby tree, gaining him a few looks from his schoolmates. He walked away before anyone could come up to him and bother him with questions. He looked straight ahead and forced himself to not think about what happened. Then, something took his attention- a figure lying on the soft grass, under a tree. He smiled, _'Maybe she changed her mind...'_

"Yo! Akari-chan!" Momoshiro called from afar pulling Akari out of her thoughts and back to earth.

"Momoshiro-san…" Akari said as she slowly sat up.

"What are you doing here? Do you want some? I just got them from-" Momoshiro spoke as he offered some of his lunch but stopped in mid-sentence when he realized that Akari has stiffened.

"Gomen, I have to go." Akari said as she hurriedly ran off.

Momoshiro watched her figure as she disappeared in a corner with a confused look before everything that happened yesterday came back to him, again. His eyebrows furrowed and he punched another tree.

'_Is she serious?!'_ Momoshiro thought, fuming. He sat down on the soft grass, setting his lunch on it. He continued to stare at the direction Akari had run off to, deciding not to eat at all but soon, he found his hands reaching for his food, shoving them into his mouth, faster than he usually did and with more force due to his anger.

---

Akari was running away from Momoshiro. Before she noticed where she was going, she found herself in the girls' tennis club courts. She hurried to a nearby washroom and went to the sink. She turned the faucet on and splashed water on her face- something she could easily do because she wasn't one to wear makeup. After a few minutes of splashing, she looked up and saw her face dripping with water on the mirror. She stared at her lifeless emerald green eyes before sighing. She took out a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her face dry. Feeling a bit better, she walked out. But instead of finding the empty courts in her line of vision, she simply felt herself fall to the ground, landing on her butt.

"Ouch…" she mumbled before looking up to find a brunet. "W-What are you doing here??" she asked, alarmed.

**-o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: Okay, so how was it? I hope it was worth your time and I hope that I have entertained you enough to have you click on the button below and leave a few words just to let me know your opinions. Comments, suggestions and flames are welcome. Anonymous and signed reviews are accepted. Thank you!**

**Please be kind; Leave a review for me to find.**


	19. Hint

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o--**

**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.--._._._._**

**Chapter Nineteen:**

**Hint**

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: konnichiwa, monna-san!! Here's the next chappie and I hope you like it. Please do leave and review!**

"Are you alright?" the brunet asked as he offered his hand.

"A-Arigatou, but I can stand up on my own." Akari politely rejected the offer as she stood up, dusting off her skirt. "Sorry, I wasn't looking at where I was going." She apologized before looking around for an excuse to leave.

"It was my fault, too." He said as he pushed his glasses up.

"Anou… Tezuka-san, I really have to go. I need to do something." Akari said as she turned to leave.

"You can try staying away, but they don't easily give up." Tezuka said in his all-knowing voice.

Akari stopped in her tracks. That wasn't what someone would normally say to her in her current situation. She smiled a small smile. _'It's as if he knows…'_

"Really?" She turned around to face him. "We'll see." She said before bowing to her senpai and leaving.

Tezuka watched as she slowly disappeared out of sight. He raised his left hand, the one he had offered awhile ago, and stared at it. He turned around and headed to his classroom but stopped when another brunet appeared.

"Satomi Akari, someone who refuses to give in to those who bullies her but loses when the people around her gets involved," Fuji spoke through his fake smile, eyes closed.

"Someone who always has a strong resolve and does what she wants, using her connections, if needed," he continued as he walked towards his buchuo.

"She plans ahead but often forget some minor things that might set her back," he was now standing face to face with Tezuka.

"She puts up a cheerful act in front of others and only shows her serious side to few chosen ones- those that she trust and those that manage to break through her façade," Fuji opened his eyes, revealing his pools of turquoise.

Tezuka remained quiet, listening to what Fuji had to say.

"Am I right?" Fuji asked Tezuka who was eyeing him with a serious look on his face.

"What do you know?" Tezuka asked in a calm voice, as if what Fuji had done did not surprise him at all.

"Why don't _you_ tell _me,_ Tezuka?" Fuji responded. "I obviously know more." Fuji said before walking away.

"Are you sure?" Tezuka said, turning to the other direction.

Fuji stopped in his tracks but didn't call for Tezuka to stop. He didn't even turn. He just smiled an evil smile.

A few minutes after the two figures disappeared, another one emerged from behind a wall relatively near where everything happened. But, he wasn't a brunet. His dark green hair gleamed as the sun shined even brighter. His golden cat-like eyes stared at the direction Fuji had left, nothing in them but apprehension.

---

It was a few days into May and a lot has changed. The cheerful team of regulars of the boys' tennis club was no more. One could no longer hear the cheerful chatters of the team. It was as if they had all taken a liking to Tezuka's image, silent, saying no more than a few words at a time. Even Eiji had gone from energetic to a lifeless object. It has come to the point that the endless bickering of the mortal enemies- Kaidoh and Momo- would be music to the ears. It may not have gone this far if not for the absence of their coach due to important businesses to attend to.

Eiji sighed as he sat on one of the benches in the club room. Everyone was inside, standing up, leaning on the wall, or sitting on one of the benches. Momoshiro looked around before punching the door of his locker.

"What the heck is she thinking?! It's been three weeks?!" Momoshiro shouted in frustration. He looked at each of them. They responded by looking away.

"Momo, that's enough. Just give up," Eiji said in his lifeless voice.

"What?!"

"I said that's enough," Eiji looked at Momoshiro. "She doesn't need or want us around. She's the one who has been avoiding us-" Before he could even finish, he was already against the wall, hands on his shirt.

"Do you really expect me to stay put as she continues to drift further away because she's afraid of what this person might do, not to her, but to us?!" Momoshiro asked everyone, even though his eyes were on Eiji.

Eiji's eyes opened wide as he stared into Momoshiro's. He looked away and fell silent. Momoshiro slowly let go of his senpai's shirt and looked around the room. Everyone was silent and nobody dared to return his gaze.

"Maybe they left already, senpai." A voice, familiar to their ears, was heard. Their heads shot up, wondering who she was talking to.

"I guess it is quite late already. I'll just go and put this in their club room." Another familiar voice was heard. "You can go ahead, Sakuno-chan."

"Iie, I'll wait, senpai."

"Suit yourself, then." They heard footsteps headed toward them. They heard the sound of keys before they saw the knob turn.

"Eh? It's open." They heard before they saw a black-haired girl enter the clubroom. Everyone was silent.

"K-Kari-chan…" Eiji whispered, his eyes focused on her.

"Minna…" Akari whispered back, eyes wide as she stared at all of them.

Before anyone else could speak, Akari bolted out the door. She continued to run, passing a confused Sakuno on her way.

"Matte," Momoshiro said as he grabbed her arm, effectively stopping her from going any further.

Akari stopped, knowing it was useless to struggle against a strong person. She turned around and saw them all there, looking at her.

"Oh, right," Akari started, extending an arm that held a paper bag. "I came to give back Kaidoh-san's jacket. I noticed it yesterday and decided to give it back." She explained as she handed the said bag to Kaidoh.

Everyone was silent as they listened to her and her addressing Kaidoh formally had not gone unnoticed. They watched as Kaidoh hissed, taking the bag from Akari.

"That's all. Sorry for bothering you. I'll be going on my way now." She said as she yanked her arm from Momoshiro's grip. She bowed then turned to Sakuno. "Sakuno-chan, I'll go ahead."

"Akari!" One voice was heard throughout the courts.

Akari stopped on her tracks. She turned, looking uncertain before looking up at Ryoma's eyes. "You haven't called me by that for a long time. So, what is it, Ryoma… san?"

Everyone saw Ryoma's eyebrows twitched before he could hide it by tugging on his cap.

"Let's have a-" Ryoma was cut off.

"A match," Tezuka spoke.

**-o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: How was it? I know it's short… but I wanted to write the entirety of the match in the next chapter. Please leave a review!!! Thanks!!**


	20. Friends

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o--**

**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.--._._._._**

**Chapter Nineteen:**

**Hint**

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: konnichiwa, monna-san!! Here's the next chappie and I hope you like it. Please do leave and review!**

"Are you alright?" the brunet asked as he offered his hand.

"A-Arigatou, but I can stand up on my own." Akari politely rejected the offer as she stood up, dusting off her skirt. "Sorry, I wasn't looking at where I was going." She apologized before looking around for an excuse to leave.

"It was my fault, too." He said as he pushed his glasses up.

"Anou… Tezuka-san, I really have to go. I need to do something." Akari said as she turned to leave.

"You can try staying away, but they don't easily give up." Tezuka said in his all-knowing voice.

Akari stopped in her tracks. That wasn't what someone would normally say to her in her current situation. She smiled a small smile. _'It's as if he knows…'_

"Really?" She turned around to face him. "We'll see." She said before bowing to her senpai and leaving.

Tezuka watched as she slowly disappeared out of sight. He raised his left hand, the one he had offered awhile ago, and stared at it. He turned around and headed to his classroom but stopped when another brunet appeared.

"Satomi Akari, someone who refuses to give in to those who bullies her but loses when the people around her gets involved," Fuji spoke through his fake smile, eyes closed.

"Someone who always has a strong resolve and does what she wants, using her connections, if needed," he continued as he walked towards his buchuo.

"She plans ahead but often forget some minor things that might set her back," he was now standing face to face with Tezuka.

"She puts up a cheerful act in front of others and only shows her serious side to few chosen ones- those that she trust and those that manage to break through her façade," Fuji opened his eyes, revealing his pools of turquoise.

Tezuka remained quiet, listening to what Fuji had to say.

"Am I right?" Fuji asked Tezuka who was eyeing him with a serious look on his face.

"What do you know?" Tezuka asked in a calm voice, as if what Fuji had done did not surprise him at all.

"Why don't _you_ tell _me,_ Tezuka?" Fuji responded. "I obviously know more." Fuji said before walking away.

"Are you sure?" Tezuka said, turning to the other direction.

Fuji stopped in his tracks but didn't call for Tezuka to stop. He didn't even turn. He just smiled an evil smile.

A few minutes after the two figures disappeared, another one emerged from behind a wall relatively near where everything happened. But, he wasn't a brunet. His dark green hair gleamed as the sun shined even brighter. His golden cat-like eyes stared at the direction Fuji had left, nothing in them but apprehension.

---

It was a few days into May and a lot has changed. The cheerful team of regulars of the boys' tennis club was no more. One could no longer hear the cheerful chatters of the team. It was as if they had all taken a liking to Tezuka's image, silent, saying no more than a few words at a time. Even Eiji had gone from energetic to a lifeless object. It has come to the point that the endless bickering of the mortal enemies- Kaidoh and Momo- would be music to the ears. It may not have gone this far if not for the absence of their coach due to important businesses to attend to.

Eiji sighed as he sat on one of the benches in the club room. Everyone was inside, standing up, leaning on the wall, or sitting on one of the benches. Momoshiro looked around before punching the door of his locker.

"What the heck is she thinking?! It's been three weeks?!" Momoshiro shouted in frustration. He looked at each of them. They responded by looking away.

"Momo, that's enough. Just give up," Eiji said in his lifeless voice.

"What?!"

"I said that's enough," Eiji looked at Momoshiro. "She doesn't need or want us around. She's the one who has been avoiding us-" Before he could even finish, he was already against the wall, hands on his shirt.

"Do you really expect me to stay put as she continues to drift further away because she's afraid of what this person might do, not to her, but to us?!" Momoshiro asked everyone, even though his eyes were on Eiji.

Eiji's eyes opened wide as he stared into Momoshiro's. He looked away and fell silent. Momoshiro slowly let go of his senpai's shirt and looked around the room. Everyone was silent and nobody dared to return his gaze.

"Maybe they left already, senpai." A voice, familiar to their ears, was heard. Their heads shot up, wondering who she was talking to.

"I guess it is quite late already. I'll just go and put this in their club room." Another familiar voice was heard. "You can go ahead, Sakuno-chan."

"Iie, I'll wait, senpai."

"Suit yourself, then." They heard footsteps headed toward them. They heard the sound of keys before they saw the knob turn.

"Eh? It's open." They heard before they saw a black-haired girl enter the clubroom. Everyone was silent.

"K-Kari-chan…" Eiji whispered, his eyes focused on her.

"Minna…" Akari whispered back, eyes wide as she stared at all of them.

Before anyone else could speak, Akari bolted out the door. She continued to run, passing a confused Sakuno on her way.

"Matte," Momoshiro said as he grabbed her arm, effectively stopping her from going any further.

Akari stopped, knowing it was useless to struggle against a strong person. She turned around and saw them all there, looking at her.

"Oh, right," Akari started, extending an arm that held a paper bag. "I came to give back Kaidoh-san's jacket. I noticed it yesterday and decided to give it back." She explained as she handed the said bag to Kaidoh.

Everyone was silent as they listened to her and her addressing Kaidoh formally had not gone unnoticed. They watched as Kaidoh hissed, taking the bag from Akari.

"That's all. Sorry for bothering you. I'll be going on my way now." She said as she yanked her arm from Momoshiro's grip. She bowed then turned to Sakuno. "Sakuno-chan, I'll go ahead."

"Akari!" One voice was heard throughout the courts.

Akari stopped on her tracks. She turned, looking uncertain before looking up at Ryoma's eyes. "You haven't called me by that for a long time. So, what is it, Ryoma… san?"

Everyone saw Ryoma's eyebrows twitched before he could hide it by tugging on his cap.

"Let's have a-" Ryoma was cut off.

"A match," Tezuka spoke.

**-o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: How was it? I know it's short… but I wanted to write the entirety of the match in the next chapter. Please leave a review!!! Thanks!!**


	21. Eavesdropping

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o--**

**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.--._._._._**

**Chapter Twenty-One:**

**Eavesdropping**

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Hello, minna-san! I can't believe I haven't updated in pretty much a month. Sorry about that. Anyway, here's the next chappie!!! Hope you enjoy it!**

"T-Three games to six," Oishi announced.

"Darn!" Akari cursed under her breath just as her knees gave in and she fell to the ground.

There was silence as they watched Akari stay in her kneeling position, tears flowing from her eyes, body trembling. Ryoma was the first to move to offer a towel to Akari. They watched as he handed her the towel and as she swatted his hand away. Ryoma froze for a second.

"You don't understand." Akari said in a shaky voice but it was clear enough for each of them to understand. "You don't get it. You'll get hurt. You will. I can't, I just can't. Not again…"

Ryoma dropped the towel over Akari's head as he spoke, "Since when did you learn to predict the future?" Ryoma smirked before he left, heading for their captain.

"You shouldn't predict the future, Kari-chan, because you can't." Momoshiro said loudly, grinning at Akari as he placed his hand on her head.

"Even with all the data at hand, the future is impossible to predict." Inui mumbled in agreement as his means of declaring that he stands by Akari.

"Fsssh…," Kaidoh hissed, staring straight into Akari's green eyes as if they were communicating.

"Satomi-san, we're you're friends and we will help you with whatever is happening." Oishi said as he smiled warmly at Akari.

Ryoma sighed audibly. _'She'll never learn if they keep on helping her like this.'_

"But, I guess, I'm not different from them." Ryoma murmured as he scanned the area for someone that had suddenly disappeared from his other side.

He found her beside Akari and watched as she helped her up. Sakuno gave her friend a smile before lightly squeezing her hand, a sign of reassurance. Akari stood there, stunned. She had pushed them away, yet they were still willing to help. A smile slowly crept to her features but it disappeared faster than it had appeared when she saw someone.

"Senpai…" she whispered, drawing everyone's attention from her to the usually hyper redhead.

"Eiji," Oishi called for him but no response came. They waited for him to speak or move but he didn't. It was as if he had been turned to a statue.

'_What did Ryoma-kun say? To learn how to ask for help… Asking for help, huh?'_ she thought as she straightened up, the towel falling to her shoulders. She bowed before everyone.

"I apologize for all the troubles I have given each and every one of you. I really am sorry." Akari said before lifting her head up. "I'm not in the position to ask anything of you but, if you will, please help." She finished with a smile.

She watched as they smiled in their own way except for Fuji, who is always smiling, Tezuka, who just nodded, and Eiji, who remained still. Everyone looked at him and waited, again. Akari sighed as she looked down. She saw it as hopeless. Just as she was about to excuse herself, she felt someone pull her into a bone-crushing hug.

"Kari-chan! Of course, I'll help." Eiji said. Sighs of relief were heard from others as they watched the resurrection of their hyper friend. "Sorry about… that," he apologized as he let go of a stunned Akari.

Akari shook her head at Eiji's apology before facing everyone. "Arigatou, minna-san." She bowed before all of them.

---

"Ryoma-kun, you really care for Satomi-senpai, don't you?" Sakuno asked as she slowed down, so she was walking beside Ryoma instead of the usual- Ryoma walking behind her.

Ryoma stopped for a second and looked at Sakuno, who had stopped walking, too, before walking on.

"Mou," Sakuno whined. "You could at least respond, Ryoma-kun," she muttered, watching as Ryoma continued to walk on.

"Ryoma-kun?" she called for him and waited for him to stop and turn to her before she continued. "Ryoma-kun… w-what's your relationship with Satomi-senpai?" she asked, stuttering a bit- a habit she had worked hard on stopping.

"She's a friend." Ryoma answered, after a few minutes of thinking.

Sakuno stared at him until he finally continued to walk. They were in the school grounds, by the row of Sakura trees that have yet to grow their blossoms. The wind blew past the bare twigs of the trees and breezed through the ground as to which the two have been walking on.

'_Just friends… I wonder if it's true…,'_ these were Sakuno's doubtful thoughts as she started to follow Ryoma to the gate where he suddenly stopped.

"Ryoma-kun, where are you going?" Sakuno asked him when he started to walk back into the school. She looked at her escort, or at least he was supposed to be her escort for he was given the task to accompany her to her house, who turned back to her.

"I'm going back. You can go home on your own, right?" Ryoma asked before he left, not bothering to wait for Sakuno's soft answer.

Ryoma quickly walked back to the tennis courts. When he arrived, he scanned the empty area, looking for Akari who asked to be left behind for a few minutes. He spotted movement behind a structure- their clubroom. He approached the said clubroom but stopped when he saw a part of a blue skirt from behind a tree within a hearing distance from the clubroom. He quietly made his way to the said tree noticing that as he came nearer he could here parts of a conversation being made behind said structure.

"Eavesdropping again?" Ryoma asked as he, too, hid behind the tree.

"Again?" Akari asked, not bothering to make an excuse. Instead, she paid more attention to the word that suggested that she had been caught eavesdropping before.

"Again," was Ryoma's one-word reply.

'_Again? I don't remember him catching me eavesdropping before. I wonder when-'_ her train of thoughts was cut off when she heard Tezuka's voice.

"Darn!" Akari cursed under her breath. "I lost track of their conversation." She muttered before turning her attention to the conversation of Tezuka and Fuji, an action which she noticed Ryoma had done, too.

"-part of this team, too."

"Blood is thicker than water. Well, at least, that's what they say." They heard Fuji say along with the sound of something moving. "But, as a sign of gratitude for all the years of entertainment, I won't do anything to them, anymore. That includes _her_." They heard him add before they heard the sound of feet walking against the ground, quickly approaching their location where it abruptly stopped.

'_Was that supposed to mean that everything's okay now? Somehow, I doubt that.'_ Akari thought before she felt someone staring at her. She resisted the urge to turn, afraid that she- along with Ryoma- would be discovered. But, somehow, she felt as if the two involved in the conversation they were eavesdropping on were already aware of their presence.

---

"There goes everyone…" Fuji said just as Ryoma and Sakuno walked off. There was no one left but him and Tezuka. "We should head off, too." He continued as he walked toward the clubroom.

"What are you hiding?" Tezuka asked in a low voice.

Fuji stopped in his tracks, turned around and smiled mischievously at him. "I think this calls for the line 'It's for me to know and for you to find out', don't you? After all, you can't call it _hiding_ if I tell you upfront, right?"

Tezuka's left eyebrow twitched but it was instantly hid by his poker face. He approached the door to the clubroom and went in to grab his bag before going back out. He searched for the key to lock the door from a group of keys for various locks.

"I wonder as to what's so special about her that even you would go to such lengths just to help her." Fuji spoke, leaning against the wall beside the door.

Tezuka ignored him and locked the door when he finally found the right key.

"That was very unlike you… Tezuka." Fuji continued.

"At least I'm not the only one who's been acting unusually." Tezuka said as he turned to face the genius. "Normally, you would be the one doing something to help another out especially since the team is affected. So, I should be the one saying that to you."

"It's not my fault that they allowed themselves to be affected so much by someone like her." Fuji said, the last few words coated with disgust.

Tezuka stared at him, thinking of why the sadist had taken a dislike to Akari.

"Tell me, Tezuka. What exactly did you expect me to do?"

"Nothing," Tezuka answered without breaking eye contact.

"Doesn't that contradict what you said earli-"

"She's different. You hate her." Tezuka said, confident of the truth of his statements.

"Hate is a strong feeling." Fuji said.

He waited for Tezuka to respond but nothing came. He watched Tezuka, a confident and firm young man who bears many responsibilities. Fuji couldn't help but smile an evil smile.

"Strong, but not strong enough," he added. "I loathe* her."

For a few minutes, there was silence as the two stared at each other's eyes- the windows to one's soul.

"'Everyone has someone or something they care about above all.' Do you agree?" Fuji asked before continuing, "People or things that are so precious to us that we do anything just to protect them."

"Never to the extent of hurting others," Tezuka said.

"You're right. But, wouldn't it be alright if it wasn't done intentionally? After all, it isn't a hunter's fault if another animal is shot because the target hid behind it."

"Fuji, you're part of this team, too."

"Blood is thicker than water. Well, at least, that's what they say." Fuji said as he pulled himself away from the wall. "But, as a sign of gratitude for all the years of entertainment, I won't do anything to them, anymore. That includes _her_."

Fuji didn't bother to wait for a response. He already knew that none would come. So, he walked away, passing the tree that hid both Ryoma and Akari. He stopped for a second, only a few meters away from the tree. His eyes opened as he looked at the tree as if he could see through it. A creepy smile dominated his face as he continued to walk away.

**-o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: So, how was it? I know, I know. The characters were **_**way**_** OOC especially Tezuka. But, I needed him to say those things. So, anyway… I would really love to get some feedback, guys. So, if you will just please click on the link below. Remember, you don't need to log in to be able to leave a review. Thanks!**

***I don't really know for sure but I think loathe is a stronger feeling that hate. Anyway, that's how I used it here.**

**Before I forget, I would also like to thank those who have shown their support by leaving reviews:**

**chibisuke1**

**Smash41KMF**

**VampireBlood22**

**xxTemarixx**

**Yuki Taiki**

**Zero-onE001**

**Thank you so much!!**

**I'm in the process of writing something. Unfortunately, it's not the next chapter to this one. But, don't worry. I'm planning on staying up all night (it's already 1:54 AM here) to finish what I'm writing (for those interested, it's for a story I posted in wattpad . com under the penname fanatic08). After that, I'll be writing the next chapter. Hopefully, I'll be able to update this in a matter of days.**

**Reviews are very much appreciated. So, please click on the link below!**

**=^_^=**


	22. Tea

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**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.--._._._._**

**Chapter Twenty-Two:**

**Tea**

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Hi!! Again, I am here to apologize for a late update. I'm sorry. I said I would update after a week but then I couldn't. So, anyway, here it is. Aren't you just curious as to why the title is "Tea"? hehe. Please read and review.**

"6 games to 1. Game, match and set to Echizen Ryoma-san of Seishun High School." The referee announced as crowd cheered. That win just secured them of their overall victory against their rival school.

Today was the first day of the prefectural tournaments and Seishun High School has just won their first victory towards Nationals. The regulars were goofing around as their schoolmates came to congratulate them.

"Nya, let's go to the court where the girls are having their tournament." Eiji suggested as he leaped to Ryoma's back.

"After that, we can go to Kawamura's Sushi shop." Momoshiro said, all the while thinking of food.

Tezuka wordlessly walked ahead, leading the team to the other court. Everyone went ahead, leaving behind Ryoma, Eiji and Fuji.

"Echizen, can you still breathe?" Fuji asked with his usual smile on his face.

"Ah?" Ryoma said as he looked around him, as if he had been in a different place before suddenly appearing there. Then, he felt something heavy pulling him down. He allowed the weight to pull him down a bit before realizing what it was, "Senpai!"

"Hai, hai," Eiji said as he freed Ryoma. "Nya, o'chibi, you seem to be spacing out a lot lately. Did something happen?"

"It's nothing." Ryoma said while looking straight at Fuji.

"We better follow them before Oishi panics." Fuji said, turning his back on Ryoma.

Eiji jumped forward and chattered away as the two walked to where the others were. Ryoma watched Fuji as he conversed with his friend.

'_He knew we were listening, then. So, he practically admitted to doing all of those things. He said he'd stop… So, why do I still feel uneasy?'_ Ryoma thought as he started walking. Then, he turned back and stared at the court they had used, remembering something. _'What happened to the match I was playing?'_

"O'chibi! What's taking you so long?" He heard his senpai complain more about how slow he was being before he started walking again.

"Ryuzaki-chan! Osakada-chan!" Momoshiro shouted as he waved to the two girls walking away from the court they had their tournament in.

Hearing their names, the two stopped and turned toward the direction of the regulars. Momoshiro approached them, the others following behind him.

"Senpai-tachi?" Tomoka spoke as she watched the group approach them.

"Ryuzaki-chan! Osakada-chan!" Momoshiro called their names again as he stopped in front of them.

"How was your tournament?" Oishi asked.

As they waited for an answer, Inui and Tezuka noted Sakuno's sudden urge to look at the ground- hiding her features. Tomoka turned to check on her.

"Sakuno-chan…" Tomoka whispered, her hand making its way to her shoulder.

Snapping out of her trance, Sakuno's head shot up to Tomoka as she spoke, "It's nothing. I just remembered something." Then, she turned to everyone else, a smile in place. "Everyone's headed to Kawamura-senpai's sushi shop, right?"

"Wh- … Uh… Yeah," Momoshiro answered, confused by their behavior.

"Oh, that's right! Sushi! I'm starving!" Tomoka suddenly shouted, surprising the others. "We can come with, right, senpai?"

"Sure! Let's go!" Momoshiro said, all other thoughts erased by one- sushi.

"Sushi!" Momoshiro and Tomoka shouted in unison as they marched ahead, the others following.

"Fsssh…," Kaidoh hissed as he silently watched the two.

Sakuno giggled just as Ryoma, Eiji and Fuji arrived.

"What seems to be so funny?" Fuji asked, bending forward- his face only a few inches away from Sakuno whose face is getting redder by the second.

"Ah… Anou… I-It's nothing." Sakuno stuttered as she hurriedly stepped back, leaving more space between them.

"It's been awhile since I've heard you stutter, Sakuno-chan." Fuji smiled as he straightened himself and found Inui and Tezuka glancing at each other.

"What's the matter?" Fuji asked them in a hush tone.

"Let's go," Tezuka said, ignoring the question thrown at him and walking to where Momoshiro and Tomoka headed to.

Inui followed, Kaidoh by his side. Eiji was jumping behind them, dragging along Oishi. Ryoma was silently staring at both Fuji and Sakuno when he saw her glance at his direction. He was about to move to drag her to the sushi shop and away from his senpai when he heard Sakuno speak.

"Fuji-senpai, shouldn't we go, too? We'll be left behind." It was spoken so softly, Ryoma almost didn't hear her.

Fuji looked perplexed before he came to his senses and smiled. "Sure." He led Sakuno forward before turning back to Ryoma and speaking, "You coming, Echizen?"

Ryoma stared at Sakuno for a few seconds but she didn't turn around. Tugging on his cap, he spoke, "I need to find someone." He bowed before his senpai before disappearing at a corner.

"Nya, what took you guys so long?" Eiji asked just as he gulped down a sushi in whole.

"Did we take that long?" Fuji asked as he waited for Sakuno to enter.

"S-sorry," Sakuno apologized as Fuji slid the door closed.

"Stop apologizing, Sakuno-chan, and seat here!" Tomoka spoke, making sure her voice was loud enough to be heard above the noise of the others conversing with each other. She patted on the seat beside her.

Sakuno made her way to the seat beside Tomoka and sat down. Fuji went to Kawamura, asking for wasabi sauce, before seating beside Eiji.

Sweat was trickling down her forehead, her arms and legs were starting to feel heavier by the minute. She watched as the ball bounced from the ground to the wall and waited for it to come back. She hit the ball with timing and sent it bouncing off the ground and onto the wall again. This time she did not bother to return the ball. She watched as it bounced off the ground and fly towards her face. She caught it with her hand.

"Darn…" she muttered as she tightened her grip on the ball. "Darn it!" she spoke louder, throwing the ball downward with so much force that it bounced high up, landing near a certain someone's shoes.

She extended her arms sideways and allowed herself to fall on her back, not bothering to see where the ball landed. Unable to feel the pain of her head colliding with the ground, she opened her eyes and found herself staring at two golden cat-like eyes.

"Ryoma-kun?" she asked, stunned.

Ryoma's two arms supported her, preventing her from falling to the ground with great impact. Slowly, Ryoma lowered her until she was lying on the ground. Ryoma moved so he was beside her. He sat there, waiting for her to stop panting.

"Why are you here?" Akari asked as she sat up.

"Why are _you_ here?" Ryoma said, returning the question.

They were on the ground, beside each other and facing each other. There were tennis balls around them, a racket on Akari's other side.

"Ponta," Akari demanded.

Wordlessly, Ryoma handed her one before opening another for himself.

"Thanks," Akari said with a smile before drinking.

"I'll take this! Thank you!" Eiji laughed as he picked up a sushi from Momoshiro's plate.

"What's wrong, Momo-senpai?" Tomoka asked, being nearest.

`By this time, everyone in the room stopped their conversations and were staring at Momoshiro.

"Where's Echizen?" he said in a low voice.

Eiji, who had been holding the stolen sushi with his chopsticks all the while, dropped it.

"He said he had to look for someone." Fuji answered while he covered a sushi with wasabi sauce.

"Oh…" Momoshiro whispered before taking his seat only to find out that he was missing one sushi.

"Senpai! Eat your own!" Momoshiro whined before he snatched a sushi from Eiji's plate.

Expecting his senpai to take it back, he immediately swallowed it as a whole. Choking, he grabbed a cup of tea and sipped a mouthful.

"Fsssh…," Kaidoh hissed, eyes intent on the cup Momoshiro had in hand.

"Nya, I think that might be Kaidoh-kun's." Eiji said, trying to suppress his laughter.

Just as Eiji finished speaking, Momoshiro spurted out the liquid before he could even swallow it. "Nani!?"

This made Eiji laugh so hard.

"Baka!" Kaidoh muttered.

Momoshiro's ears twitched as they heard him utter the word and his face reddened, growing darker by the second.

"What did you call me, mamushi!?" Momoshiro said, raising his fists.

Kaidoh was about to retort when they heard Tomoka shout.

"Sakuno-chan! Are you alright?" Tomoka said, her hands on Sakuno's shoulders.

Sakuno was sitting sideways on her chair, facing Tomoka. Her hair was wet and so were her clothes.

"Sakuno-chan!"

"Ryuzaki-chan!"

The others uttered her name while the rest just stared at Momoshiro. Fuji and Oishi rushed to Sakuno's side.

"Are you alright?" Fuji asked while Oishi started to clean up the mess with a cloth.

"Gomen nasai, Ryuzaki-chan!" Momoshiro apologized, bowing his head.

"It's okay, senpai." Sakuno smiled at him before Fuji started to wipe some drops of the liquid off of her face with a cloth.

"By the way, who was o'chibi looking for?" Eiji asked.

Sakuno looked down, hiding her expression from the others. Fuji who was wiping her face stared at her with a knowing look.

"If it's Echizen, it's probably her…" he said while tilting Sakuno's head up and removing the hair that covered her face. "Right?" he finished with a smile.

"H-hai," Sakuno replied before getting up. "Obaa-chan is probably waiting for me already."

"That's right. Sensei went somewhere right before your games started, right?" Fuji spoke, looking up.

"Hai, senpai. She said there was an emergency."

"I see…" Fuji smiled at Sakuno before Tezuka approached them.

"I'll be walking you home then." Tezuka said before he headed for the door.

Everyone said their farewell and resumed their conversations.

"Osakada-san?" Tezuka called for Tomoka's attention once he and Sakuno got outside.

"H-hai!" Tomoka picked up her bag and ran outside, shouting farewell to the others.

"I guess we separate here," Tomoka said as she waved goodbye to Tezuka and Sakuno before heading on her own way.

Tezuka continued to the road opposite the one Tomoka took. Sakuno silently followed. They continued down the road in silence and turned at a corner. Tezuka abruptly stopped, causing Sakuno to almost collide with his back.

"What's the matter, senpai?" Sakuno asked, peeking at what lays ahead.

Her eyes grew wide and she couldn't help but stumble back a few steps. Her hand flew to cover her mouth, tears brimming on her eyes. In front of them were Ryoma and Akari. Akari had her head rested on Ryoma's shoulder as he embraced her.

As much as Sakuno tried to stop it, a tear still managed to escape and roll down her cheek.

**-o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: How was that? I hoped you like it cause it is 2 AM here and my head is killing me. Hehe. Please do leave a review. Thanks.**

**Just click on the button below! Thanks! =)**


	23. Jealousy

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**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.--._._._._**

**Chapter Twenty-Three:**

**Jealousy**

**--o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Konniciwa, minna-san! This chapter is quite interesting. JEALOUSY! Any guesses as to what will happen? Who thinks this is a RyoOC fic? RyoSaku? You'll find out soon enough. Now, go on and read then leave a review! Enjoy!**

She sighed before drinking what was left of her grape Ponta. Eyeing Ryoma who sat beside her, she set the empty can on the ground just beside a tennis ball. She sighed again as the tennis prodigy remained silent as they both sat on the ground. He was leaning forward, right elbow on right knee as his right hand held the Ponta he was drinking. His left leg stretched beside his folded right leg. Akari sat with both her legs stretched forward on the ground. She leaned back, hands behind her to prop her up. She stared at the black sky.

She let out yet another exasperated sigh before she raised her right hand, leaving the other to support her. She stretched her hand toward a cluster of twinkling stars.

"There are a lot of them tonight," she mumbled.

"Hn."

With another sigh, Akari laid down on the ground, patting the space beside her. Ryoma stood up, left his can of Ponta beside hers and laid down beside her as requested.

Just as he did, Akari asked, "Why are you so silent? Won't you ask me what happened?"

This time, it was Ryoma who sighed. "Even if I don't ask, you'll tell me soon enough."

A few minutes of silence passed as Akari thought of what Ryoma said. He stared at the sky, watching it, as he waited for a response.

"I keep forgetting-"

"You're old," Ryoma interjected, a small smile on his lips.

"Shut up!" Akari said as she nudged him at his side before she became serious again. "I keep forgetting that you knew me best. But, then, tell me. What will you do if I tell you that I've changed?"

"I'll tell you when you change." Ryoma answered.

Akari let out a short laugh. "Didn't I already change?"

Ryoma looked at her before answering, "No. Under that cheerful façade you keep showing everyone, you're still the same."

"Façade?" Akari repeated.

"You keep smiling and laughing along."

"What makes you think those smiles and laughter weren't real?"

"Ever since that first incident, you've been worrying. It's even gotten worse after Fuji-senpai's conversation with buchuo." There was a pause before he continued, "The closest you were to showing how you were really feeling was during you're match with buchuo."

Akari didn't speak. She just continued to stare at the sky. After a few minutes, a light moved across the sky. Akari sat up as she pointed at where it was. "A shooting star!"

Ryoma looked at where she was pointing just in time to see a glimpse of it before it vanished. "Aren't you going to make a wish?" he asked as he sat up.

"I stopped believing in that."

That statement made Ryoma look at her.

"What?" she asked defensively. "There's nothing wrong with not believing, is there?"

"Your room's ceiling has a sky painted on it."

"Just because I don't believe in a shooting star making a wish come true doesn't mean I don't admire the sky anymore."

Ryoma continued staring at her.

Akari, understanding that he won't stop until she explains it, sighed. "Is it that weird for me to stop believing?" she asked before looking away from Ryoma. She stared at a tennis ball farthest from them, seeing something other than the yellow green object. "An experience taught me that if you want something then the only way to get it is through your own hard work and not through wishing on a shooting star."

Ryoma stayed silent. A few minutes after, he stood up and offered a hand to Akari.

Akari looked at him, confused. "What time is it?"

"8:10," Ryoma answered, not bothering to look at his phone again.

"It's that late already?" Akari asked as she took Ryoma's hand and stood up.

They dusted themselves off before they collected the tennis balls scattered around them. Akari placed them in her bag. After putting her tennis racket in, she zipped it close and swung it on her right shoulder. They started walking in silence until they reached a point where their paths parted.

Akari turned to face him and hesitated before speaking, "Thanks for accompanying me until here."

"Always hesitating," Ryoma muttered as he stayed there.

"Eh?" Akari asked, pretending not to hear what he just said.

"You heard me." Ryoma said, proclaiming his awareness.

Akari bit her lower lip before speaking, "We lost."

"I know," Ryoma answered.

Instead of lightly punching him and telling him to shut up like Ryoma expected her to, Akari stayed silent, tears rolling down her face.

"Oi-" Ryoma was about to tell her that he was just kidding when Akari stepped toward him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"They threw their matches."

"What do-" Ryoma didn't continue asking. He understood.

"They didn't give any effort at all. Only Sakuno-chan played for real. I didn't even get the chance to play."

Again, there was silence. They didn't speak and the only thing that could be heard is Akari's sobs. There was no one there aside from them.

"Darn it!" Ryoma heard Akari curse, causing him to look at her. "I didn't want to cry in front of you. Why didn't it rain?"

This caused Ryoma to smile as he wrapped his arms around her. After sometime of comfortable silence, he spoke, "It's okay to cry in front of me. I'm used to it, anyway."

"Hey!" Akari slapped his arm as she pulled back and looked at him. "I wasn't that much of a crybaby." She said as she wiped her tears away with a handkerchief she got from her pocket.

As she was returning it, a movement in her far left caught her attention. She turned to the direction of the object seeing something she didn't expect. Her eyes widened as she froze. Ryoma, noticing her sudden shock, turned to where she was facing and saw them- Tezuka and Sakuno.

"Buchuo," Ryoma said after recovering from the shock, focusing on the said captain.

"Sakuno-chan?" Akari asked, finally breaking from the trance she was in.

"A-anou…" Sakuno tried to respond but she couldn't. She walked to Tezuka's side and looked up to him, eyes pleading him to speak for she couldn't.

Tezuka, noticing Sakuno's stare, looked at the couple before them. He adjusted his glasses before speaking, "Echizen, Satomi-san."

Hearing this, Sakuno sweat dropped. Even his senpai didn't know what to say. This made her even more nervous than she already was.

Awkward silence wrapped around them as no one spoke. They just stared at each other, not knowing what to do. Sakuno, unable to take anymore of the silence, gathered all her courage to speak.

"A-anou… Tezuka-senpai was just walking me home." She started, feeling nervous under the stares of the other three. "It was nice meeting you here. Anyway, we'll go now." She finished with an unsteady smile before looking up to her senpai.

Tezuka nodded at her before excusing them both as they moved to leave.

"Matte," Ryoma suddenly spoke, stopping them in their tracks. He went to Sakuno's side and grabbed her hand, pulling her away from his buchuo.

"R-Ryoma-kun?" Sakuno asked, confused. She was also blushing due to the contact.

"My house is nearer Ryuzaki's. I'll take her home." Ryoma said, all the while looking at Tezuka.

Taken aback, Tezuka stared at him. After a few seconds, he nodded at him with regained composure.

Ryoma continued to drag Sakuno with him, stopping when they were near Akari. He stared at her, giving her a meaningful look. Understanding, Akari nodded and watched as Ryoma continued to drag Sakuno until they disappeared around a corner.

Akari smiled. "They're quite the cute couple, don't you think?"

"Is it really okay?" Tezuka asked, walking towards her.

"Hm?" She looked up to him, confused.

"For you to say something like that when…" Tezuka trailed off, stopping himself from finishing his sentence. He was afraid that if he did, it would be too obvious.

"Why wouldn't it be?" she asked, not wanting to immediately conclude what was hinted by his statement.

"It's nothing." With that, Tezuka walked away.

_**-/-/-/-/-**_

Ryoma continued to drag Sakuno away until they rounded a corner. He let go of her and continued to walk ahead of her- the way it always was when he was walking her home. He stopped walking, noticing that she wasn't following her. He looked back and saw that she was in the same place where she let go of her. He walked towards her to ask her if anything was wrong but stopped a meter away when he saw her crying.

"Ryuzaki?" Ryoma stayed rooted to where he was, helplessly watching as she continued crying.

"Nande?" Sakuno asked, whispering.

Her head hang low yet he could still see tears rolling down her face. Ryoma stood there, unable to do anything, unable to understand her.

"Nande?" Sakuno repeated, louder this time.

Ryoma suddenly regained the ability to use his legs as he slowly moved towards Sakuno. "What do you mean?" he spoke in what he hoped would be a soothing voice.

Sakuno looked up at him, "Why are you so mean to me?"

Her voice was so soft it could hardly be heard. It was as if her chest was squeezing the air out of her lungs that she couldn't speak louder. Her eyes showed she was hurt while her clenched fist showed she was mad.

Ryoma's forehead creased for a second, showing his confusion. He couldn't understand why she was hurt, or why she was mad. He couldn't understand how he had been mean to her. He was about to open his mouth to express his confusion when Sakuno stepped forward and started hitting his chest with her fists.

"Why do you have to do this to me? Treating me kindly, making me hope that there's actually a chance, just to crush me!" she shouted at me as she continued to pounding my chest. "Why do you keep acting like that, giving me hints, then suddenly I see you with senpai! When I've finally decided to keep my distance you show yourself to me and make me hope all over again!"

Her hits were weak against Ryoma's chest and he could have had easily stopped her, but he was too shocked. Slowly, Sakuno stopped and fell to the ground, crying her heart out, as the rain started to pour down. For a few minutes, Ryoma just stood there, watching as Sakuno continued to cry. Then, as if he had just come out of a trance, Ryoma sat down. He watched as Sakuno hugged herself. Ryoma held a hand up, as if to comfort her when she spoke.

"I'm sick of your game already, Ryoma-kun!" she shouted, her voice was already hoarse from all the shouting and crying. "Stop playing with me! Just… just, stop walking me home… stop helping me… stop being kind to me…," she said, no longer shouting. Her words could barely be heard.

Ryoma's eyes widened when realization dawned on him. "Are you jealous?"

Sakuno looked up to him, searching his eyes for any clue as to what he was thinking but found none. She looked down before speaking, "Maybe I am."

She waited for his response but all she heard was a chuckle. Blushing, she looked up and spoke, "S-Stop laughing. As I thought, this is all a game to you-"

Two hands wrapped around Sakuno, making her shut up. Ryoma smirked before talking, "Silly Sakuno."

'_S… S-SAKUNO?'_ Sakuno went bright red at the sudden reference to her by first name.

**- o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: How was that? I was going to keep writing but I know that if I did, I'd get stuck again (because I don't know what Ryoma would do) and I will only be able to post this after another week. So, how was it? Thanks for reading and hope you don't mind clicking on the button below! Comments, suggestions, flames, practically everything are welcome. Just leave a review, both anonymous and signed reviews are accepted. **


	24. Confusion

**-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-**

**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.-._._._._**

**Chapter Twenty-Four:**

**Confusion**

**-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Hello, minna-san! It's been awhile. I'm sorry about that. But, I just couldn't get my mind to work. It's really weird that I'm posting this after summer. I guess my mind only works during school days. Hehe. Hope you enjoy reading! Review!**

"_Is it really okay? ... For you to say something like that when..."_

'_What could he have possibly meant awhile ago?'_ Akari asked herself as she started running to catch up with the stoic captain who left without explaining his words.

"Tezuka-san, matte kudasai!" she called out to him, asking him to wait for her.

Tezuka sped on, ignoring her completely. He was about to round a corner when he felt someone pull on his shirt. Not wanting to be any ruder than he had been, he stopped and waited for her to walk to her side.

"What is it, Satomi-san?" he asked, turning to his side to glance at her face.

"Seriously?" she asked, wondering if he seriously forgot about the question he left unanswered when he suddenly walked away. Akari stared at him before sighing. "I was just wondering… what you meant when you said those words…"

"It's nothing," Tezuka replied keeping his poker face on.

"I wonder when you'll learn to open up, Tezuka-san," Akari spoke, almost resignedly.

As they started their walk to their houses, Akari found her question turn back to her.

'_When will I learn to open up to someone other than Ryoma-kun?'_ She looked at Tezuka and wondered if he was even interested to know what happened. As she pushed that thought away, she felt something tugging on her mind- the faces of Tezuka and Sakuno when they saw her and Ryoma hugging. It was clear that they had misunderstood. _'Why do I have the urge to explain such a little misunderstanding?'_

Tezuka stopped in front of her and she nearly bumped into him had she not stopped thinking to look ahead of her. They were in front of her house, the sign _Satomi Residence_ screaming on its place against the gate.

"Would you like to join me for dinner, senpai?"

"No, thanks. I have some things to take care of." He started walking to his house and was about to open the gate when Akari spoke again.

"We lost today's game."

Tezuka looked back at her with a confused look.

"We lost," she repeated. "Ryuzaki-sensei wasn't around so I thought I'd inform you. But, I guess that was unnecessary. You would have had been informed by Monday anyway." She turned to open the gate. "I guess I'll see you on Monday," she said, words rushing out her mouth, before closing the gate behind her.

Tezuka watched as she tried to slow down her feet that wanted to run to the comforts of her home. Once he saw her close the doors behind her, he started to walk to his house a look of confusion on his face. He ran his left hand through his hair before walking up the steps to his home.

'_What was that weird feeling when I saw her and Echizen?' _he asked, wondering what that feeling was- the feeling that came after the shock when he walked in on their moment.

He stood tall before the door, staring at his reflection on the doorknob. After some time, he looked up. He turned to the house next door, understanding in his eyes. He had the answer to his question, the explanation for the weird feeling he got. He opened the door and closed it behind him, enclosing himself in the privacy of his home.

_**-/-/-/-**_

Heart beating fast against her chest, her breathing rapid, her knees buckling, her back against the wall, her face covered by her hair, her eyes wide open. Akari's knees finally gave in, pulling her down to the ground. She sat on the floor, a hand on her chest as if to stop her heart from beating too fast.

'_What's wrong with me?'_ Akari asked herself in confusion.

A few minutes passed and she was finally able to stand up. Her heart rate has finally slowed down. Her breathing had also returned to normal. Her eyebrows furrowed, her hand combing through her hair.

"What the heck was that?"

Too confused to build up an appetite to eat, she skipped dinner and went straight to bed. She lay on her bed, eyes tightly closed. She was trying to fight off the confusion but she couldn't. So, she lay there, waiting for sleep to claim her consciousness.

_**-/-/-/-**_

"Oops!" Akari exclaimed as she watched the spilled milk on the table leak to the floor, one drop at a time. She looked around, in search of tissue. She grabbed some and began to clean up the mess she had created.

As she disposed of the last of the used tissues, she couldn't help but ask herself as to when she had started to be so clumsy.

'_I guess it started yesterday... when I finally realized it.'_ She sighed at the thought. _'This is too troublesome...'_

She looked at the clock, realizing that she had wasted a lot of time already. She hurriedly ate her breakfast before rushing out the door. Closing the gate behind her, she ran forward without looking at her path. When she looked forward to look she had already hit something.

"Aww...," she murmured, still on the ground.

"Satomi-san…," Tezuka said as he turned to see what had hit him. "Are you alright?" he asked, hand stretched forth.

"Yeah…," she answered as she reached for his hand. When she was back on her feet, she smiled at him and apologized, "Sorry. I wasn't looking ahead."

Tezuka just nodded at her and remained standing there. Akari, unsure of why he didn't continue walking, cautiously took a few steps ahead. Not knowing what else to do, she walked on towards school. After a few steps, she sensed Tezuka walking beside her. She stared at him for awhile while he ignored her. Sighing, she looked away and they continued walking in silence.

"I guess we part ways here," Akari said, smiling up at him.

"I'll walk you," Tezuka said, turning to the direction of the girls' tennis club.

As they walked, students stopped chattering and stared at them, their eyes trailing them until they went out of sight. Ryoma and Sakuno, who were walking together, also stopped to stare but Ryoma quickly shrugged it off, drinking his Ponta while waiting for Sakuno to recover.

Tezuka and Akari, still walking to the courts, passed the three regulars- Haruka, Natsumi and Akiko- who stared at them, shocked. As they left them standing there, Akari could feel glares stabbing her back.

"This is going to be troublesome," Akari remarked.

They stopped in front of the clubroom and faced each other, a trace of a smile evident on Tezuka's face. They bid goodbye before Tezuka left to go to the boys' tennis club.

_**-/-/-/-**_

"What the heck was that?" Haruka's loud voice was heard.

"I'm sure Tezuka-sama was simply being polite," Akiko said, trying to calm Haruka down.

There was a snort before Natsumi's voice was heard. "Yeah, she probably begged him to walk her to the courts. Tezuka-sama was just to kind to reject her request."

"That's probably right. What a slut!" Haruka said. "First, it was Ryoma-sama, then Momo-sama, Kaidoh-san and Eiji-chan. Now, it's Tezuka-sama!"

Akari sighed as she leaned against the door of the clubroom, listening to their conversation. "This is really going to be troublesome."

"A-anou…," a weak voice interjected the laughter of the three. Akari stood straight, surprised. "Y-you shouldn't be talking about others that way, senpai," the voice continued.

"Sakuno-chan?" she asked, confused. She leaned further toward the open window to hear better.

"Ryuzaki, you should really just mind your business!" Akari heard Natsumi respond.

"Oi," another familiar voice interjected.

"R-Ryoma-sama! We didn't see you. What are you doing here?" said Haruka.

'_Ryoma?'_ Akari thought, surprised that he came to school early. _'Oh, right. I saw him with Sakuno-chan awhile ago.'_

She opened the door and almost closed it back when she saw what was happening.

**-o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: How was it? It's a bit short but I wanted to update as soon as possible, so… Anyway, please leave a review. You can write anything- anything, at all. Just leave a review, okay?**

**Oh, and I hope you could read my other fics here on fanfiction. Also, please check out my stories on wattpad. com. I'm working on a lot of stories for this, they're still on the idea stage but I have some already posted there.**

**Please check it out: www . wattpad . com/user/fanatic08**

'**til the next update! Bye!**


	25. Ruse

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**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.-._._._._**

**Chapter Twenty-Five:**

**Ruse**

**-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Hello, minna-san! It's been awhile. School has been giving me a hard time- it takes almost all of my time leaving none for writing. If only I could skip school… Anyway, hope you guys enjoy reading. R and R!**

Sakuno continued to stare at the direction where Akari and Tezuka were headed. She couldn't believe what she just saw.

"Oi," Ryoma said, calling for her attention.

"R-Ryoma-kun, gomen," Sakuno apologized before taking a step toward Ryoma. "Was that…?" she trailed off, confident that the prodigy knew what she was referring to.

Not seeing why it was so hard to believe that Akari and Tezuka would walk to school together, Ryoma just nodded. He drank his Ponta as he continued to wait for her to get over it.

A few minutes passed and silence began to wrap around them. Suddenly, Sakuno's phone started beeping, pulling her back to reality. She checked her phone to see the time, before panicking.

"A-anou, Ryoma-kun, I have to go. Thanks for walking me to school. Bye!" she said, waving goodbye as she sped away, hoping that she wouldn't be punished for being late for their tennis training.

Reaching the courts, she could hear three familiar voices talking. Not wanting to eavesdrop, she turned to walk away but stayed when she heard Tezuka's name.

"What the heck was that?" Haruka said, obviously annoyed.

"I'm sure Tezuka-sama was simply being polite," Akiko said, trying to calm Haruka down.

There was a snort before Natsumi's spoke, "Yeah, she probably begged him to walk her to the courts. Tezuka-sama was just too kind to reject her request."

"That's probably right. What a slut!" Haruka stated. "First, it was Ryoma-sama, then Momo-sama, Kaidoh-san and Eiji-chan. Now, it's Tezuka-sama!"

Hearing their statements, Sakuno felt uneasy. She didn't feel comfortable listening to others as they insulted a friend.

"A-anou…," her weak voice interjected the laughter of the three. "Y-you shouldn't be talking about others that way, senpai," she continued.

"Ryuzaki, you should really just mind your own business!" Natsumi said, rolling her eyes.

Not knowing how to respond to that, Sakuno just kept quiet. She had never really been the type to talk back. She didn't have enough courage and self-confidence.

"Why do you even stand up for that-"

"Oi," a familiar voice interrupted Haruka's statement.

"R-Ryoma-sama! W-We didn't see you there. What are you doing here?" Haruka's voice immediately changed from that of a bigheaded person to that of a shy and trying-to-be-cute girl.

For a moment, everybody was silent. The three were quietly watching Ryoma while he stared at Sakuno who suddenly found her shoes interesting. Without warning, Ryoma pulled Sakuno to him before resting his hand around her shoulders.

_Bang!_

The door to the clubroom, just a few meters away from them, closed. But nobody seemed to have noticed the loud noise. They were too pre-occupied with what Ryoma was doing.

"She's mine. Nobody gets to bully her...," he said, looking Haruka straight in the eyes. Then, he glanced at the tomato red Sakuno beside him before saying, "Except for me."

...

There was silence. Haruka and her friends couldn't even close their mouth or think properly because of what they've seen and heard. Sakuno was too busy blushing to even try to stutter a word out of her lips. And, Ryoma was too busy smirking to say anything more.

"What's everybody doing here?" a familiar voice broke through the silence. "Why are the girls' tennis club members not doing their morning training? Echizen, why are you here?" Ryuzaki-sensei charged with questions as she walked toward the group.

"O-Obaa-chan!" Sakuno exclaimed.

The coach stopped in her tracks when she saw the way Ryoma had his arm around her granddaughter's shoulders. Shock was written all over her face. Knowing that the coach was paying them no attention, the three discreetly left the area and headed to one of the courts to start training- effectively escaping from their would-have-been punishment.

Ryoma, finally realizing why Ryuzaki-sensei had been staring at them, released Sakuno and tugged on his cap. He bowed before leaving, headed toward the boys' tennis club courts.

Sakuno was panicking on how to explain to her grandmother when the door to the clubroom suddenly opened, saving her.

"Ohayou gozaimasu!" Akari greeted as she approached them. She turned to the coach then asked, "Sensei, what happened with the emergency meeting last Saturday?"

"We just needed to discuss some things. I'm sure you're well aware of one of the matters we had to talk about."

A dark second passed before Akari smiled at the aging coach. "Sakuno-chan and I are going to start our morning training now. Please excuse us."

She bowed before pulling Sakuno with her. They rushed to one of the courts to start warming up for a practice match. Sakuno suddenly stopped, causing Akari to turn to her.

"What's the matter, Sakuno-chan?"

"Anou, senpai, what 'matter' was obaa-chan referring to?" she asked, unable to forget Akari's reaction to what Ryuzaki-sensei said.

"It was nothing," Akari said, dismissing the topic. "Anyway, are you and Ryoma-kun...?"

Sakuno suddenly went red. "N-No... I-I mean," she paused to think before continuing, "I... don't know."

"Leaving things unclear," Akari muttered as she continued to walk. "Typical Ryoma..."

Sakuno watched as their captain walked away before remembering something. "Senpai!"

"Hm?" Akari asked, turning around to face Sakuno who started to run toward her.

"Are you and Tezuka-senpai...?" she trailed off.

Expecting that that question would somehow be asked, she smiled and recited the answer she rehearsed in her mind moments ago, "We hold mutual feelings and we both know that. We recognize the effects of possessing such feelings and I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens next."

Sakuno stood there, stunned, as Akari started walking away again. Sakuno had not expected her to answer honestly- she didn't even expect her to answer the question at all. She continued staring at the courts, barely aware of what was happening around her, as she thought of the answer given to her.

'_Does that mean that...? Probably.'_ Sakuno smiled before running to the courts for the training.

_**-/-/-/-**_

"Walking someone to school, that's new," Fuji said just as Tezuka walked past him.

He was leaning on the wall of the clubroom, just beside the door. He looked at Tezuka with a look of amusement.

Tezuka, being Tezuka, simply stopped in front of him and stared back at the smiling mask of the tensai.

"I wonder why, out of all the girls in this school, you picked her," Fuji murmured as he stood straight.

Hearing a certain tone to Fuji's voice, Tezuka analyzed him- checking if he meant any harm.

Hands put up as if surrendering, he spoke, "Don't worry. _I _won't touch her." That was all that was said before he walked away.

After all the years they've all been together as a team, Tezuka knew he could trust Fuji's words. But, there was something with the way he said 'I' that made him think he had more things to consider worrying about.

_**-/-/-/-**_

There was a giggle from one of the cubicles in the girl's comfort room. Two girls managed to fit themselves in the cramp space.

"As long as it's for Fuji-sama..."

"It's okay to break the rules..."

**-o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: How was that? It's shorter than other chapters but I needed to put something up for you guys or something. I feel like I've been neglecting writing too much. So, how was it? Just click the button below to vote! Thanks!**

**Oh, and thanks to those who reviewed for the previous chapters!**


	26. Pain

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**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.-._._._._**

**Chapter Twenty-Six:**

**Pain**

**-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Okay, so after much delay, I finally finished chapter 26. I hope there's still someone reading this. Enjoy!**

"Assemble!"

All members of the girls' tennis club quickly flocked around their coach, arranging themselves in columns and rows.

"Everyone, for the afternoon's training, I'm going to go to the boys' tennis club. Satomi will be take charge in your training. If you'll encounter problems I'll be at the other side. Understood?"

"Hai!" they chorused.

The aging coach walked away and headed for the courts of the boys' tennis club. Just as she disappeared from sight, Haruka gathered her minions. They circled around Haruka and began whispering to each other.

Seeing this, Akari sighed before turning around. She was about to walk off when Sakuno stopped her.

"Senpai?"

"I'm just going to get the equipments for our training," Akari explained.

Sakuno glanced back at the group of girls before deciding to go with their captain. "I'll help."

With that, the two of them walked to the clubroom.

_**-/-/-/-**_

"Are you all with me?" Haruka asked, after her explanation.

Some answered with a determined 'yes' while others just nodded, hesitant but afraid to defy Haruka.

Satisfied, Haruka led the group to the clubroom. The rest of them followed unaware that a person was cautiously leaving the courts.

After a few minutes of keeping in the shadows, when she was sure nobody would notice her, she broke into a sprint towards the boys' tennis club.

"Nya! Inui! Take that _thing_ away from me!" Eiji shouted as he backed away from Inui who was holding a glass of green slimy liquid.

"It's the penalty for losing, Eiji." Inui muttered, glasses gleaming as he cornered Eiji. "Open your mouth so I can give you this."

Eiji shut his mouth tight, scared at the mere sight of the liquid.

Balls hitting tennis rackets could be heard throughout the courts. Members, regulars and non-regulars, were all having practice matches. Everyone was too busy to notice her when she ran in- everyone but him, of course.

"Akiko-san, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the other side of the school campus?" Fuji said, suddenly appearing beside Akiko.

Akiko, hands on knees, still panting from the long run, took a minute to respond. "Satomi-buchuo needs help."

"So?" Fuji said in a cold voice, his usual smile plastered on his face.

Shocked, Akiko stayed silent for a few seconds before remembering what she came to do. "Haruka, she's-"

"You should really go back to your training, Akiko-san." Fuji's voice was different, almost as if he was threatening her.

A chill ran up her spine and immediately she grew scared of the tensai standing before her. She was left speechless and teary-eyed.

_**-/-/-/-**_

"Senpai!"

Sakuno's scream was followed by the sickening sound of a bone being fractured. She had jumped in front of Akari just as a racket was swung.

"Fuji-sama sent us," Haruka spoke, ignoring Sakuno who was on the floor, writhing in pain.

Akari just stood there, frozen- the words of Haruka echoing in her mind, pulling her from reality into her mind. She was barely aware of Natsumi raising her racket to hit her, of Sakuno struggling to stand up to shield her, or of the group turning their attention to Sakuno and beating her up with their rackets.

Thoughts swarmed her mind and she was sucked in deeper and deeper.

'_Fuji... It was him, again...'_ she thought as memories flooded her mind. The events that had traumatized her replayed again and again in her mind. Slowly, she felt her sanity slipping out of her grasp.

"What's the matter, Ryuzaki? Can't do anything now that sensei isn't here, can you?"

Natsumi's voice broke through the imaginary walls that had separated Akari from the others. She was suddenly sucked back into reality. She saw Sakuno on the floor, bleeding from several places. She looked around and found the members of the girls' tennis club surrounding them both. In a flash, she understood what had happened.

"Sakuno-chan!" Akari screamed as she knelt beside her only to find her unconscious.

Vision blurry from her tears, she barely noticed Haruka approaching them. "Well, well. Looks like you got over you shock already."

Akari looked up to see Haruka kneel down beside her. "Why are you crying? Could it be that you think that this is your fault?" she asked Akari, referring to the injury of Sakuno.

Akari just continued to cry, not bothering to answer her.

"Don't worry. It's not because of you. She was simply too nosy. She shouldn't mind other people's business. Plus, she had no right to Ryoma-sama," Haruka said, speaking evenly as if the sight of Sakuno had not bothered her at all.

Natsumi snorted. "Ryoma-sama was probably just toying with her anyway. There is no way he would choose _her._"

Anger overpowered Akari and she looked up at them, glaring at them. "Why wouldn't he pick her? She's obviously better than any of you-"

Haruka slapped her then yanked on her hair. "Why mind her business when you have your own problems. You did something to offend Fuji-sama. You should be punished."

"W-" Before Akari could even utter a word, Haruka slapped her and pushed her down. She stood up and waited for the others to finish the job.

Akari bit on her lower lip, trying to stop herself from screaming. She would not give them the pleasure of hearing her pain.

_**-/-/-/-**_

"Leave," Fuji said before walking away.

Akiko remained rooted to where she stood.

"O'chibi! Save me!" She heard Eiji shout to the young prodigy who passed by him as if he saw nothing. Her eyes stayed on him, hoping that the fear in her eyes would tell him something because she could not find her voice.

Ryoma stared at her before approaching her. "What's happened?" he asked with urgency, worried.

"Buchuo and Ryuzaki-chan... Haruka... She... I couldn't... Sorry," Akiko whispered, unable to form a sentence but was able to deliver the keywords.

Without hesitation, Ryoma took off. Noticing this, the coach and the regulars crowded around Akiko who managed to say, "You have to go, now!"

Knowing that Ryoma wouldn't act like that if it wasn't an emergency, they followed him to the other side of the campus. Akiko tried to follow them but was stopped by Fuji's glare. Instead of following, she fell on the floor, fear draining her energy.

_**-/-/-/-**_

"Sakuno! Akari!" Ryoma screamed their names as soon as he got near the courts. He stopped and noticed that the place was empty. Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw a group of girls running off. He went to where they came from and froze at the sight.

**-o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: How was it? I hope it was worth the wait. For any comments and suggestions please click on the link below and leave a review. Thanks!**


	27. Betrayal

**-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-**

**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.-._._._._**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven:**

**Betrayal**

**-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Konnichiwa, minna-san! I finally finished this chapter! I'm sorry for the long wait. Please do read and review. ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PoT. I would be very rich by now if I did.**

"Sakuno! Akari!" Ryoma screamed their names as soon as he got near the courts. He stopped and noticed that the place was empty. Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw a group of girls running off. He went to where they came from and froze at the sight.

"She's injured. Send an ambulance at Seishun High School at the west side of the campus," Akari's voice was shaky as she hang up.

Tears rolling down her cheeks, she hugged Sakuno. She was muttering apologies when she noticed Ryoma by the door.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault," she muttered.

Ryoma just stood there, shocked. He felt the others approach them. Just like Ryoma, they fell silent when they saw what had happened. Ryuzaki-sensei hurried past Ryoma and took Sakuno into her arms.

Akari pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her. She started rocking herself back and forth saying the words 'sorry' and 'my fault' over and over again.

The sound of the siren of the ambulance brought life back to the statues. They moved Sakuno out of the clubroom where the medics took her into the ambulance. The coach entered while Ryoma was deciding on whether to go with Sakuno or stay with Akari. Unable to decide he looked at Tezuka who nodded at him. With the assurance that Tezuka would take care of Akari, Ryoma got in the ambulance and they sped away.

"Satomi-san, are you alright?" Oishi asked as he approached her.

No response came from her. She just continued to rock herself back and forth.

"Maybe we should call for another ambulance," Oishi said, glancing at Tezuka for his opinion.

Tezuka said nothing before walking to Akari. He knelt in front of her before looking at the others and ordering them to leave. After they closed the door, he evaluated her injuries and decided that they weren't too serious. He took a first aid kit and began to treat her wounds.

"Don't blame yourself," Tezuka said when he was done.

He stared at her eyes and found himself looking into vast darkness. Her eyes were void of life. His fists clenched for a second. He had been afraid that the series of events would lead to her being traumatized and he was right. Unable to control himself, he pulled her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Fuji!"

Oishi's scream made Tezuka let go. He was about to reach for the door when someone opened it before him. He glanced at his side only to see Akari push pass him as she went out. Before he could even react he heard the sound of Akari slapping someone.

_**-/-/-/-**_

Fuji stared down at Akiko. He was wearing his usual smile but his eyes were open and in each of them were flames of fury that froze her where she stood.

No words were said, no sound made. They just stood there and stared into each other's eyes- the windows to their souls. Suddenly, Akiko fell to the ground, petrified. Her eyes were wide open and her whole body shook as her arms wrapped around herself, trying to give comfort to herself. Satisfied, Fuji left her and walked to the courts of the girl's tennis club.

As he walked closer and closer to the courts, images kept flashing in his mind- images he had created in his own mind, images of what he thought happened that caused pain for his beloved brother. He walked faster with each step and in time arrived at his destination. He headed straight for the clubroom, ignoring the others. He was about to open the door when he came face to face with her. He was about to speak but Akari took away his chance. He heard it first before he felt the force of her slap.

He instantly recovered from the shock and pulled Akari by the wrist, wrenching her away from Tezuka's grip. She winced in pain but kept her mouth shut. The others surrounded them, forming a circle around them.

Tears threatened to from her eyes as she looked up at the taller figure before her. She pulled her hand away from Fuji. For a second, everybody thought she would slap him again but she didn't. There was silence as she fell to her knees. Everyone remained frozen as she looked up at the sky. At that instant, a raindrop fell on her cheek followed by many others. It started raining. It was as if the heavens were linked with her. For as soon as that first raindrop fell, her tears streamed freely down her cheeks, mingling with the rain.

Oishi started to move toward her but stopped when her lips started moving. They listened, their eyes grew wide when they heard the last of her statement.

"Gomen nasai… Fuji…" she spoke, closing her eyes. "… Yuuta…"

Confused, they all turned to look at Fuji who was wearing a satisfied smile.

"You shouldn't have done it," was all that Fuji said before he turned to leave.

A few seconds passed before the others finally pieced everything together. Everything that's happened had been caused by him. They all had mixed emotions- disbelief, confusion, and anger. But, the one above all was their pain for knowing that they were betrayed by one whom they have considered a brother.

Before anyone could stop him, Momoshiro went and punched Fuji in the face. Unsatisfied, Momoshiro raised his hand for another punch. Seeing this, Oishi rushed to stop Momoshiro. He went between Fuji and Momoshiro, pushing Momoshiro away.

"Momo, stop! You won't get anything by hurting him," Oishi said, pleading him to stop.

"Why are you protecting him? Did you lose your brain? He was the one who's been hurting Satomi-chan and Sakuno-chan all this time!"

"Use your rationality! Hurting him won't undo what he has done!"

"Now's not the time to think rationally! Just let me beat him up, senpai!" Momoshiro shouted as he pushed Oishi away. He pushed so hard that Oishi fell to the ground.

Momoshiro had his hand raised, preparing to punch Fuji with all his might. It was clear in his eyes that he wouldn't be satisfied until he saw blood- a lot of blood. His hand was a couple of inches away from Fuji's face when a hand took a grasp of his arm, stopping him. He turned to glare at the person who stopped him only to come face-to-face with Kaidoh.

"Let go unless you want to get punched!" Momoshiro threatened.

Kaidoh, as if he had no heard anything, tightened his grasp on Momoshiro's hand. He stared at him in the eyes, as if to convey a message. But Momoshiro was so full of rage that was not able to read it from Kaidoh's eyes.

"Get out of my way! Mamushi!"

Just as Momoshiro was about to raise his other hand to punch Kaidoh, an authoritive voice spoke.

"That's enough, Momoshiro." Hearing this, Momoshiro turned to see Tezuka speaking. "Stop acting like a child. You're not the only one who feels betrayed. You're not the only one who's hurt. You're not the only one who's mad. But you need to understand that you're actions are only making things worse. There is a reason why nobody else is doing what you're doing. You're tearing apart an already-broken relationship."

Momoshiro's eyes widened as Tezuka's words sank in. He unclenched his hands. Seeing this, Kaidoh removed his firm grasped and Momoshiro's hands fell to his sides. He looked at Kaidoh and saw, for the first time, that there was no hint of irritation- usually directed at Momoshiro- in his eyes. Instead there was something in his eyes that made Momoshiro understand that Kaidoh had been hit by the truth just as hard as he was. Fuji was someone everyone looked up to.

Around him, Momoshiro saw what he missed awhile back. Eiji was standing at the side, head hung low. It was clear that he was trying not to cry. He had been the one closest to Fuji. He must bear the worse pain among them all. Oishi hadn't bothered to get up from the ground after he was pushed down. Though it was raining harder than before, it was clear that he was crying. Inui stood behind him. His notebook laid on the ground. The rain drenching it, destroying all the contents- all the data Inui has worked hard to collect. From the page where it was open, a few lines were still readable.

At the very top, written in capital letters, was the word _SUSPECTS_. Below it were names of people in and out of school- people whom Akari have interacted with- and beside these names were percentages. Some of these names were Haruka(12%), Natsumi(9%), Akiko(1%) and at the very end of the list was Fuji's name. Beside it was 38%- the largest among the rest. Beside this, written in red ink, was a note Inui had written to remind him to re-compute everything and check if all possibilities have been considered. Clearly, he had dismissed the possibility of Fuji being the one behind everything that has happened.

Suddenly, they heard Akari fall down on the ground. Tezuka bent down and sat her up. One word escaped from her mouth before she blacked out.

"Sakuno..."

Everyone had a sudden urge to look away when they heard her mutter Sakuno's name. Even Fuji seemed to have snapped out of the trance he went in when Momoshiro threw a punch at him. He looked on the ground trying to keep a straight face but failing. His brows furrowed for a second, showing that hurting Sakuno had not been part of his plan.

Fuji was about to leave when they heard footsteps approaching them. Through the sound of the rain, they heard a familiar voice shout one word that made Fuji turn to the person who joined the group.

"Aniki!"

**-o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: How was it? I'm really sorry this took so long… I guess I'm having trouble getting over my writer's block and laziness. Hope I'm still talking to someone… Please leave a review! A single word will do, just to let me know you're there.**


	28. Revelation

**-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-**

**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.-._._._._**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven:**

**Revelation**

**-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Hi! Sorry this took so long! Hope you're still there. Enjoy!**

"Aniki!"

"Yuuta..." Syuusuke mumbled as he watched his brother glance at him then at Akari.

Horror filled Yuuta's face. Syuusuke was about to say something when Yuuta hurried to Akari's side. Confusion crossed Syuusuke's face but he didn't speak. He couldn't. So, he just watched as Yuuta asked them to call for an ambulance and move Akari to a shaded area while they waited. The appearance of Yuuta seemed to have woken them up for they instantly moved like statues coming to life. Oishi made the call while Tezuka stood up and carried Akari to the nearest school building. The rest followed behind, including a reluctant Syuusuke.

"Will buchuo be alright?" a voice asked as soon as Tezuka entered the building.

It was Akiko. She took of her jacket and covered Akari with it. Her eyes were watery, as though she might cry any second. Tezuka looked at her for a second before continuing to a corner where he carefully laid Akari. He adjusted Akiko's jacket so that it covered Akari.

There was silence as Tezuka sat down next to Akari. Akiko watched from the same place she stood awhile ago. Suddenly, they heard someone screaming- Oishi. The two rushed outside to see Kaidoh and Momoshiro pulling away Yuuta from Syuusuke. Oishi was in front of Syuusuke, blocking Yuuta's sight of his brother.

"What did you do?" Yuuta asked, his fists clenched. He was still struggling against both Kaidoh and Momoshiro.

Syuusuke stared at his younger brother, shocked. It was a few minutes before he managed to speak. "I heard you speaking on your phone and-"

"No! No! No!" Yuuta cut him off. "You misunderstood," he added looking devastated. He unclenched his hands and stopped struggling. Momoshiro and Kaidoh let go, listening as the story behind everything unfolds.

"But, I asked-"

"Lisa-chan died. It was an accident." There was silence as the words entered the minds of everyone around. Slowly, things were being pieced together.

"No! That's impossible! She admitted she was at fault!" Syuusuke said, stepping back.

Yuuta looked down and muttered, "Akari-san always blamed herself. She thought it was her fault Lisa-chan died. But, it wasn't. It was an accident. She couldn't forgive herself so she transferred." He decided to look up. He stared at his brother's eyes before continuing, "That day, the day you eavesdropped, was a few days after the accident. She was trying to comfort me. That was also the day she moved in with Echizen-san."

Syuusuke's eyes widened as realization hit him. He was wrong. Around him, the others stayed silent. They didn't know every single detail, but they knew- they knew what happened. Yet, there was nothing they could do but to watch and wait for what was to happen.

The silence stretched on and was only broken by the sound of the siren of the ambulance. Tezuka went back in to carry Akari outside. The rain had stopped during the silence. Tezuka got on the ambulance, leaving Oishi to take care of matters.

"We should go to the hospital," Oishi said, gesturing to the others to start moving.

They nodded but didn't say anything as they walked to the school gate. Syuusuke didn't move from his spot. Instead, he just watched his brother who was moving along with the group. Eiji stayed and looked at his best friend for awhile before he, too, started moving. So, Syuusuke was left there alone.

_**-/-/-/-**_

"Ryuzaki Sakuno?" the doctor said, calling for the family of said patient.

"How is my granddaughter?" Ryuzaki-sensei asked as she, with Ryoma at her side, rushed to the doctor.

"She'll be fine. She was bruised up quite a bit and we had to stitch up some cuts but she should recover fast."

The coach smiled a weary smile while Ryoma sighed in relief.

"She'll be transferred to room 423. Visitors are allowed. Just don't wake her up. She'll need all the rest she can get."

Ryuzaki-sensei nodded as the doctor left. She turned to Ryoma and spoke, "Go to her room. I'm going to call and make sure everything's alright back there."

Just as she finished speaking, they watched as paramedics rushed inside. They were rolling a gurney with an unconscious girl- Akari. Ryoma's eyes widened at the sight.

"Tezuka?" Ryuzaki-sensei asked the captain who was waiting outside the doors. The nurses forbid him to enter.

"Sensei?" Tezuka asked as he turned to the one who called for him.

"What happened?"

"She fainted awhile ago."

The coach nodded. "Probably from too much stress."

Ryoma watched as his coach and captain spoke. He was explaining what happened while they were gone. He listened in on their conversation. When he got the gist of what really happened, he walked out of the hospital, bringing his racket with him. He needed to release his anger before going to Sakuno's room.

_**-/-/-/-**_

"How is she, sensei?"

"She'll be fine. It's just her condition. I'm sorry but I can't discuss this with someone who is not an immediate family of the patient."

"I understand."

"She should be walking up soon. I'll be going now."

There was a sound of the door being opened then closed. There was silence. On the bed was Akari, an IV attached to her left arm. Tezuka watched as her chest rose up and down. Then, he sighed.

"You're awake," he said as he sat on the chair next to the bed.

A few seconds passed with silence before Akari's eyes fluttered open. Tezuka waited for her to say anything but she stayed silent. Then, tears started flooding out her eyes.

"What's wrong? Are you in pain?" Tezuka asked as he stood up from his chair. He was about to press on the button above the headrest of the bed to call for a nurse when Akari stopped him.

"I'm fine. I... I just dreamt of it again," she explained as she sat up and wiped her tears away.

Tezuka sat back and waited for her to say more.

"It was about the accident that happened when..." Akari trailed off looking ahead, her eyes seeming to see something more than just the white wall of the hospital.

"I know. Yuuta-san spoke to Fuji about the misunderstanding," Tezuka said, knowing that she was having a hard time explaining.

Akari just nodded. Tezuka offered her some water and asked if there was anything she needed. Before she could say anything, the door opened and Oishi came in, smiling at the sight of Akari awake.

"How are you, Satomi-chan?"

"I'm feeling better, senpai," she answered, smiling at him. "How's Sakuno-chan?"

"She's at the next room. She's recovering well."

Akari nodded at Oishi's answer. "How is Ryoma-kun?"

"He's been going back and forth this and Sakuno's room. He's worried. Everyone is. That's why both you and Ryuzaki-chan should recover fast."

"Hai!" she said, offering him another smile.

Oishi looked at Tezuka before going out. "I'm going to check on Ryuzaki-chan."

Again, there was silence. Akari looked outside for awhile before looking at Tezuka.

"How is everyone _really_ doing?"

Tezuka looked back straight at Akari's eyes. "Fuji was someone the team respected."

He only said one sentence but it drew a good picture for Akari. Someone as respected as Fuji doing something like what happened would naturally harm the team.

"This is my fault," Akari said looking away from Tezuka.

"It's not."

"How do you know?" she asked, looking back at Tezuka.

"Yuuta-san said so."

"Yuuta-kun didn't tell you the details of the accident, did he?"

Tezuka didn't answer and it was enough to let Akari know he didn't.

"Do you want to know?" she asked in a small voice, looking down at her hands.

There was silence and she didn't expect him to respond so she started, "I had to stay at school to finish a project that was due that day. I needed to finish it or else I would fail. Lisa-chan helped me finish it. So, both of us ended up staying in school later than usual. It was dark and we were walking home from school. I was telling her a story and wasn't paying attention. I didn't notice it but she did. She pushed me away just as the car collided against her."

She stopped. She was crying and she was having a hard time breathing. "I... I just sat there and watched... I watched the blood draining away from her body... I couldn't move... I-I..." she took a deep breath before continuing. "When I finally snapped out of it, I grabbed my phone and called for the ambulance. I didn't move to check her pulse. I was... I was too scared. I was afraid to find out that she had no pulse so I waited for the ambulance. When it finally arrived, they said she was dead."

"But the driver of the car wasn't." It was Yuuta who continued the story. He had slipped inside without either of the two noticing. "They took him out, and rushed him to the hospital. He lived. The next day, we were told that he was driving under the influence of alcohol."

Akari nodded before crying. Yuuta walked to her bed, sitting at the side of the bed opposite from where Tezuka was.

"He killed Lisa-chan, not you." He squeezed Akari's shoulders before leaving.

"If she didn't help me out, she wouldn't be dead."

"Don't blame yourself," Tezuka said.

"I can't help it. I feel responsible."

Tezuka sighed before speaking. "Stop blaming yourself. It will do no one any good. Everything that has happened has happened. No matter how anyone wishes to change anything, he or she can't. Stop disrespecting your friend and instead thank her for the sacrifice she made to save your life. Start living your life in a way that you will have no regrets."

When Tezuka finished, she was staring at him. This was one of the few times Tezuka spoke so much. But it wasn't just that. Everything Tezuka just said were like daggers piercing her soul. He was right and she knew it.

**-o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: How was it? I'm really sorry this took so long. I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review!**

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and added this story to their favorites and alerts! Thank you to you all!**


	29. Sorry

**-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-**

**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.-._._._._**

**Chapter Twenty-Nine:**

**Sorry**

**-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Hi there! I know it's been a long time since I updated but here it is! Hope you enjoy it. Please leave a REVIEW!**

**Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do not own PoT and its original characters.**

"You're going to end up ruining your racket if you don't stop soon."

Ryoma turned to look at the person that spoke. It was Fuji. Ryoma dropped his racket and walked to him. He pushed Fuji until he was against the wall. Ryoma's breathing was labored as he tried to control his anger. He looked straight into the eyes of the tensai who have momentarily opened his eyes.

"You did this," Ryoma muttered, tightening his grip on Fuji's collars.

Fuji stayed silent, boldly staring back into Ryoma's anger-filled eyes. After a few minutes of staring, Fuji finally decided to speak.

"You already knew it was me. You didn't do anything to me then. Don't you think this is your fault? Did it never occur to you that if you had acted then, it wouldn't have come to this?" he said, closing his eyes like he usually does.

Ryoma shoved him against the wall again and raised his fist. A distinguished sound of bone crashing against bone was heard. Ryoma seemed to have lost it at the time. He was about to raise his fist again. He was ready to punch Fuji and he would have had done it if it weren't for Oishi who have shouted and was now running towards them. Oishi pulled Ryoma away from Fuji. Ryoma could have had easily pushed Oishi away but he knew that doing that would make things worse, so he let him.

"Stop it, Echizen. You shouldn't," Oishi said.

"You don't have a right to play tennis," Ryoma said as he tugged on his cap and turned to leave.

Fuji smiled at the prodigy's remark but it immediately turned to a frown. "I _am_ sorry, you know?"

Ryoma stopped in his tracks. It seemed like he was going to turn around and go back but he didn't. Instead he continued on his way, his hands balled into fists.

_**-/-/-/-**_

Akari was staring at Tezuka while he stared back at her when a knock came. Both of them looked at the door that slid open to reveal Fuji. Immediately, the atmosphere that had once been serious yet comfortable had changed to one full of tension. Akari sat up just as Tezuka stood straight, looking at Fuji with eyes as unreadable as the rest of his face.

"We need to talk," Fuji said all the while looking at Akari.

Tezuka glanced at Akari, who nodded at him, before leaving. Once the door closed, Fuji approached Akari. He sat on the bed, facing her.

"I hate you," Fuji said, in a voice so soft that it was barely heard.

Akari's eyes opened wide in shock. She stared at the tensai before him before looking away and speaking, "I-I'm sor-"

"I'm not yet done," Fuji said, cutting her off. "I hate you for being so stupid as to take the blame for that incident. If you hadn't acted like you were guilty, I wouldn't have had gone any further. I would have realized that I had misunderstood."

There was silence as Fuji stared at Akari while she tried to process what he said. After a few seconds, she nodded. She looked down at her hands.

"Everything really _is_ my fault," she said in a voice so soft that Fuji could barely hear it.

"But nothing is," Fuji said looking down at her, willing her to look at him. When she did, he continued. "The accident wasn't you fault. The blame falls on no one's shoulders. The events that followed afterwards- the attempts in your life that resulted in the endangerment of the others- wasn't your fault either. It was mine."

Akari's eyes widened in surprise at Fuji's words. She had put all the blame on herself. Though Tezuka and Yuuta's words had made her reconsider, she still felt responsible. It was only then, when Fuji said it and claimed the blame, had she felt unburdened. But it still left her troubled.

Fuji looked at Akari's face and saw the confusion. He inhaled before he spoke again. "I may have made the mistake of acting violently without confirming my doubts but I know when to take the blame for things."

"You shouldn't take all the blame though," she said cutting through the silence that had settled in after Fuji spoke. "You're right. If I hadn't acted so guilty..."

There was silence once more and again it did not last.

"There is no such thing as the coicidence only the inevitable. A wise person said that. Everything that happened, happened for a reason. To you, it happened to make you realize that the accident wasn't your fault. To Yuuta, it happened so he would realize that he needed to move on. To me, it happened to teach me that assumptions are not always right and that actions have consequences."

"Maybe," she said, agreeing with Fuji. "But, what about the others?"

The question made Fuji pause. But in a matter of minutes, he had the answer. "To them, things happened to make them realize that trusting someone means that you are putting down your defenses and making yourself vulnerable to that person."

Akari looked down for a few seconds before her head shot up, looking accusingly at Fuji. Her hands were balled into fists.

"You are hardly in the position to be saying that!"

Her outburst caused Fuji to be silent. He turned to his side to stare at the window. He closed his eyes for a few minutes before opening them again. His eyes as stunning as it usually is.

"I am not called a genius for no reason. I may have acted blindly then but I am smart enough to realize that the group is in a bad shape because of what I have done. But being a genius also means that I know my limits. That's why I'm here. To ask you what I have to do to fix this."

Akari stared at him for awhile, unable to speak. When she finally found her voice, all she could say was, "Why are you asking me?"

"I know that I have to apologize to you first before they even consider looking at me again. But what comes next? I'm asking you not only because you know them well but also because you are also perceptive when you are not hindered by guilt."

Confusion passed through Akari's face. She couldn't understand what it was that the tensai before her was saying. It was followed by shock when she realized that it had seemed as if he had observed her. And he was, when he was trying to learn what it could have been that might have drawn Yuuta to her.

Akari looked down on her hands again. "You should probably just apologize to them. You acted on your protective feelings for your brother. They don't hate you. They can't, not after all that you guys have gone through. Times will become awkward but it will come to pass."

Fuji nodded as he stood.

"You should explain to them, too." Akari said, looking up at him. "I would explain to them for you but I think it would be better if it comes from you. Besides, a woman having to take the stand for you doesn't seem to fit your image."

"Do you not hate me? Are you not mad at me? Aren't you even scared?" Fuji asked, turning to look at her.

"If only I could, I would hate you, I would get mad at you and yes, I would be scared of you. But I feel that I can't. I can't because you're not scary, you're kind. If you weren't you wouldn't have come here to try and fix things. You wouldn't have done those things in the first place. But you did. Because you care. That makes me unable to hate you or to even get mad at you."

Fuji nodded at her walking to the door. When his hand was on the knob, he turned to her. "I'm sorry."

It was so soft that if Akari had not been paying attention, she wouldn't have heard it. It came to her as a surprise. After all, it wasn't everyday that a tensai would admit he was wrong and even apologize. She was about to say something when she realized that Fuji had already closed the door behind him.

_**-/-/-/-**_

Fuji closed the door behind him. He looked down and thought of what he was to do next. He decided to talk to Sakuno first. When he was about to leave he noticed Ryoma coming out of the room next to Akari's.

As soon as Ryoma realized who was standing outside Akari's door, his eyes narrowed. He walked up to Fuji and glared at him.

"What were _you_ doing there?" Ryoma asked in a low and threatening voice.

"Visiting," was Fuji's response before he walked to where Ryoma came from.

Ryoma watch as Fuji walked to the next room and open the door. It was then that it registered to his mind that Fuji was going to enter Sakuno's room. "Wait! What-"

Ryoma was cut off when Fuji slammed the door to his face. Cursing, Ryoma tried to open the door but found that it was locked. He was about to pound on the door when he remembered Akari.

"Akari!" Ryoma said as soon as he opened her door.

His eyes searched the room, searching frantically for Akari. He only grew more panicky when he saw that the bed was empty. She looked around the room again but couldn't spot her.

**-o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: How was it? It's half past 12 midnight here and I'm feeling a bit sleepy so I decided to cut it here. I know it's short considering the long time I haven't uploaded and I'm sorry but this is the best I can give you right now. I apologize for the OOC-ness. I hope to hear from you so please leave a review. I accept both anonymous and signed reviews.**

**MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU!**


	30. Anger

**-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-**

**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.-._._._._**

**Chapter Thirty:**

**Anger**

**-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Hi there! Yes, this is, yet again, another late update. I hope I'm still talking to someone. Please read and review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PoT. If I did, it still wouldn't be finished because I take so much time to finish what I start.**

"Tezuka-senpai?" Sakuno asked as soon as the stoic captain closed the door to her room.

"Sakuno-san," Tezuka said as he took the vacant chair beside Sakuno's bed.

"What is it, senpai?" Sakuno asked.

"Fuji is talking to Satomi-san right now," Tezuka said as if that explained everything.

Sakuno nodded. "What's bothering you, senpai?"

Instead of answering, Tezuka stared at the white wall opposite him. He seemed to be in deep thought so Sakuno didn't speak. After a few minutes of silence, Tezuka sighed. He took off his glances, rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger before proceeding to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Do you hate Fuji?"

The question was short and simple but it came as a shock to Sakuno. It was not something she thought the captain would ever ask her.

Realizing that he was waiting for her answer, Sakuno snapped out of her thoughts. "No."

"So, you've already forgiven him?" Tezuka asked, putting his glasses back on and staring at Sakuno in the eyes.

"Tezuka-senpai, you knew that it was Fuji-senpai before this, right?" Sakuno asked, not bothering to answer his question.

He simply nodded his answer, looking down on the floor.

"I think Akari-chan knew, too."

This made Tezuka look back at her.

"She told me some time back that humans should not easily judge others. Also, that it is important to forgive as soon as the heart allows. Because if we don't we will end up holding grudges."

Tezuka nodded again before standing up.

"Tezuka-senpai, I can't forgive him because there's nothing to forgive him for."

Hearing that, Tezuka turned back to Sakuno. "Because of him, the lives of members from the team- including you and Satomi-san- have been repeatedly endangered."

"Being angry won't do you any good-"

"I don't resent him," Tezuka said, cutting her off.

Sakuno stared at him in shock before understanding. He did not go there troubled because he could not forgive Fuji but because he did not hate him even if he should.

"If that's true then, why should you be troubled, senpai?" Sakuno smiled. "You understand Fuji-senpai's actions."

Tezuka gave her a small smile before leaving. Tezuka closed the door behind him and nearly bumped into their coach.

"Sensei," Tezuka said, acknowledging her presence. Then, he turned to nod at the person standing next to their coach. "Echizen."

Ryuzaki-sensei smiled at him before entering the room, leaving Tezuka and Ryoma to talk.

"Have you talked to Fuji?"

Ryoma stared at their captain before answering, "Why should I?"

Tezuka didn't answer Ryoma's question just as Ryoma didn't answer his. Instead, he gave him a meaningful look before leaving.

_**-/-/-/-**_

"Ryoma-kun," Sakuno greeted as soon as the green-haired boy entered the room.

Ryoma watched as she sat up from bed. He gave her a small smile. "Yo!"

"Have you checked on Akari-chan?" she asked.

Ryoma simply shook his head. He heard their coach chuckle and was about to glare at her when Sakuno spoke.

"Maybe you should. Tezuka-senpai said Fuji-senpai went to talk to her."

Hearing this, Ryoma immediately bolted for the door. He walked to the room next to Sakuno's and saw that someone was just leaving. Then, he realized who it was. His eyes narrowed. He walked up to Fuji, glaring at him.

"What were _you_ doing there?" Ryoma asked in a low and threatening voice.

"Visiting," was Fuji's response before he walked to where Ryoma came from.

Ryoma watch as Fuji walked to the next room and open the door. It was then that it registered to his mind that Fuji was going to enter Sakuno's room. "Wait! What-"

Ryoma was cut off when Fuji slammed the door to his face. Cursing, Ryoma tried to open the door but found that it was locked. He was about to pound on the door when he remembered Akari.

"Akari!" Ryoma said as soon as he opened her door.

"Ryoma-kun?" Akari said, looking surprised.

Ryoma approached her, scanning her if she had any wounds.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, why would you think that..." Akari trailed off, understanding that he must have seen Fuji leaving. "He didn't do anything to me."

"Are you sure?" Ryoma asked, looking straight into her eyes.

Akari laughed. "You worry too much."

"Considering what happened..." Ryoma trailed off when he saw that Akari's mind seemed to have drifted off. "What are you thinking?"

"Do you think you can ever forgive him?"

"Who?" Ryoma asked, his body immediately tensing and his eyes going cold.

"You know who I'm talking about. Fuji-senpai," she answered, eyeing Ryoma.

"You forgave him, just like that." He didn't ask, he stated.

Akari looked out the window, not bothering to give a response.

"I'm not going to forgive him even if you ask me to."

Ryoma turned and was about to leave when Akari spoke.

"I won't ask you to do that. If I did, you wouldn't really forgive him. You'll just burry this incident deep in your heart. You'll just end up holding a grudge. If you forgive him, forgive him on your own accord."

Ryoma turned back to her. "I don't think I will ever be able to forgive him. You never knew who he was."

The statement was short but it delivered everything Ryoma wanted to say. Akari never knew who Fuji was before he was consumed by his rage. She never knew the side of him that Ryoma and the others trusted. She hadn't known him and been with him for years, unlike the others. There was never a bond between them and so she did not feel betrayed. It is harder for the others to forgive Fuji, especially for Ryoma.

"The person who you trusted and have come to know, that is who Fuji-senpai is. You should not judge someone for what he did when he was consumed by anger. Anger always changes what a man is. Not everyone can resist it," Akari said, watching Ryoma's reactions.

Ryoma shook his head. "He still shouldn't have had done that."

Akari sighed. "Leave."

Ryoma's eyes widened, surprised.

"You're too angry to listen. Leave and cool your head off."

With a nod, Ryoma left the room.

_**-/-/-/-**_

"Fuji-senpai?" a soft voice said, pulling Fuji out of the trance he was put in as soon as he locked the door to Sakuno's room.

"Sakuno-san, I'd like to talk to you," Fuji said looking at her.

Ryuzaki-sensei stood up. "I'll be going out, first."

"Arigatou, sensei."

"Okay, obaa-chan."

Fuji stared at Sakuno, listening to the sound of the door closing behind his coach.

"Sakuno-san," Fuji started, making Sakuno look up to him. "I'm assuming you already know everything."

"Senpai-tachi told me when I first woke up."

Fuji nodded, looking out the window. He wasn't sure how to say what he came to say.

"I'm not mad at Fuji-senpai," Sakuno said, making Fuji look at her.

"Sakuno-san, I don't think you understand," Fuji said, looking at Sakuno straight in the eyes. "I'm the reason why you're here in the hospital, why Satomi-san is in the room next door, why everything happened. I was the one who gave you that box."

"I do understand." Sakuno smiled warmly at him. "I understand that anger blinds people. It causes them to lose their rational thinking."

"That doesn't change the fact that I let anger control me," Fuji argued, trying to put sense into the girl's brain.

"I still believe that Fuji-senpai is the kind person that befriended me during my freshmen year in Seigaku."

Fuji stared at her before smiling. "Thank you."

There was silence as Sakuno watched Fuji in deep thought.

"Senpai, you should talk to Eiji-senpai and the others," Sakuno spoke, breaking the silence.

Fuji nodded, turning to leave. "I'll talk to Tezuka first."

"I don't think you need to."

"What do you mean?"

"Tezuka-senpai came here while you were talking to Akari-chan. I think he has already forgiven you."

Fuji nodded. He turned and left the room.

**-o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: How was it? I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter. I think there's only going to be only two or three more chapters left. It all depends on how I write the chapters. Please leave a review. Whatever you have to say, say it. I will appreciate that very much.**

**Also, I want to say thank you to all those who have supported me so far especially to those who leave reviews.**


	31. Fate

**-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-**

**Misunderstanding**

**_._._._.-._._._._**

**Chapter Thirty-One:**

**Fate**

**-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o—**

**A/N: Hi, guys! Sorry for the late update. Please enjoy reading this and leave a review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PoT.**

"Are you sure you're just going to let her go?" Fuji asked, standing beside Tezuka.

It's been a week since the incident. Both Sakuno and Akari have just been discharged. Fuji had apologized to them and everyone has forgiven him but things remain to be awkward. The two are standing outside the hospital, watching two figures get in a cab.

"Why not?" Tezuka asked, looking at the brunet beside him.

"I might have wrongly assumed a relationship between them before but that doesn't mean that it's not possible for them to be together. Especially when you consider the past they went through."

Tezuka glanced at the cab just as it rounded a corner, hiding from his view. "It's possible but it wouldn't happen."

Fuji smiled. "What makes you so sure that she'll come back to you after this?"

Tezuka just smirked before walking off, leaving an amused Fuji behind.

_**-/-/-/-**_

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Yuuta asked, looking at Akari beside him.

"Yup," she said. "It's about time we do this so we can finally put this all behind us."

Yuuta nodded his agreement. Taking a deep breath, Akari brought out a key and opened the door. It was dark inside and Yuuta quickly switched the lights on. They both looked around the apartment, surprised at how familiar everything still is.

It has been many months since the incident and yet this is the first time either of them has entered Lisa's apartment. They started going through her things and packing things. The landlord has been asking them to put away her stuff so he could have someone else rent the place. But until now, they couldn't. They started with the other rooms first, knowing that if they went to her bedroom they wouldn't finish packing because they would be crying too much.

When they were done with all the rooms except for Lisa's bedroom, Akari suddenly spoke.

"Do you resent me for living?"

Yuuta stopped in mid-step and turned to Akari, a box still in his hands. He stared at her for a while before speaking. "I did at first. But then I came to accept the fact that it wasn't your fault."

Akari nodded. She picked up a box and carried it to the spot where they were piling up all the boxes. Yuuta placed the box he was carrying on top of the others. They wordlessly entered Lisa's room. As soon as the lights were switched on, they were greeted by the familiar yellow walls, green curtains and blue bed. There were numerous posters of famous bands posted on her walls. Some of her things were clattered on her desk and on the floor. They looked at each other before they walked in.

A few minutes of silent packing passed when a tear rolled down Akari's cheek. She was looking at the photos that were taken during their many outings.

"I miss her," she silently whispered.

Yuuta made his way to her and stared at the photos. "I know. I miss her, too."

A comfortable silence hung in the air again until Yuuta spoke.

"I know you would have done the same for her."

Akari looked up at him, confused.

"Were the situation reversed, you would have pushed her away. Even if that meant you'd die," Yuuta explained.

Akari nodded. "So would you. We would each die to protect the other."

_**-/-/-/-**_

Hot water poured out from the shower head, cascading against the lean but muscular build of a certain brunet. He stood, head hung low, letting the water relax his muscles. Despite the confidence he showed to Fuji, he still had his doubts. Anyone in his shoes would. No formal confessions were done. Their status was unknown. They held mutual feelings for each other and they were both aware of this. That was all.

He wasn't afraid that she'd fall for Yuuta, of course. He was simply unsure of what was to happen next. He wasn't sure about what happened to Akari's plan of leaving the country. Things regarding the last incident haven't been sorted out. The team also has some issues to work on. Tezuka's biggest concern was the unpredictable future.

Tezuka sighed as he got out of the bathroom, wrapping a towel around his waist. He looked at the clock on his desk before taking the glasses next to it. He went to his closet and got dressed. He was drying his hair off when he caught sight of the Akari's house through the window. There were no lights on.

'_She hasn't come home.'_ Tezuka glanced at his clock once more. It was past nine and there he stood in the middle of his room, a towel on his head, his face unreadable.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. He went down the stairs and hurried to open the door. Black hair entered his sight before he nearly fell down from an unexpected impact.

"Sorry about that," she said, peeling herself off of Tezuka.

Tezuka stared at her for awhile before he spoke, "Akari...?"

Akari said nothing and just smiled at him. Tezuka stared at her, bewildered, before offering a handkerchief to wipe away the tears on her face that refuse to stop rolling down her face.

_**-/-/-/-**_

He took a deep breath before entering the house. He slowly walked his way to a bedroom, light pouring from the partially open door. Not bothering to knock, he entered, surprising the man that had just exited the bathroom.

"Yuuta...," Fuji whispered, shocked.

Yuuta made his way to the bed and sat down. "Aniki."

"I'm sorry about what I did," Fuji whispered, his eyes on his little brother.

They stared at each other before Yuuta finally decided to speak. "I don't blame you for what happened. Nobody does. It was a misunderstanding."

Hearing this, a genuine smile made its way to Fuji's lips. It was as though a huge burden was lifted from his shoulders.

_**-/-/-/-**_

"I'm sorry," Akari softly whispered.

"For what?" Tezuka asked as he handed her a cup of hot chocolate while drinking from his own.

"For keeping you from sleeping by appearing here crying like a baby."

Tezuka stared at her as she drank her hot chocolate. "It's the same either way. I wouldn't have been able to sleep not knowing how you were. I'm actually happy because you came to me instead of going to somebody else."

Akari kept silent, not knowing what to say. She was surprised, to say the least. Unnerved by the silence, Tezuka couldn't help but blush in embarrassment. Seeing this, a short laughter erupted from Akari.

"Thank you," she said, making Tezuka feel even more confused than he already was.

There was silence as they each enjoyed their drink.

"You called me by my first name," Akari said after a few minutes.

Tezuka stared at her, seemingly trying to remember when he did that. When he finally did, he spoke, "Sorry... It just slipped out of my mouth."

"I don't mind you calling me by my first name," she smiled before continuing. "So long as you let me call you by your first name, too."

Tezuka just nodded.

Akari smiled at him again but it didn't' stay long. "What now?"

It was the very question Tezuka has been asking himself.

"Will you still go to America?" he asked.

"I have to," she answered.

"You'll be going to America at the end of this trimester. You'll probably finish your studies there while overseeing your father's company branch there." He stopped and looked at Akari who nodded. "I'll stay here until I finish my studies."

Akari took a deep breath before smiling. "That's it then. We'll have to live things to fate."

With that, they were left where they began. They hold mutual feelings for each other and they're aware of this. That's all. There were no promises made to meet after everything has been done. But unlike last time, they're okay with that because if they were meant to be, fate will make a way.

**-o0o- End of Chapter –o0o-**

**A/N: And that's a wrap! Yes, this story has finally come to an end. I'm sorry for the delay but I just had a hard time ending this. Thank you so much for everyone who has supported this story! Now, I'll ask you for the last time, please leave a review. THANK YOU!**


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